My Own Spotlight
by MewCuxie12
Summary: Ami's story. Amu is a legend in high school. Beautiful, smart, and popular. Ami, meanwhile, is in 4th grade and is struggling to live up to the Hinamori name. Will her new chara be able to help? R&R! Future set. OCs involved.
1. Not So Cute

Cuxie: Whee! I couldn't wait any longer to post this! I just hope I'm not overwhelming myself again.

Ami: I'm all grown up now.

Cuxie: Yep. And your life's not a Candyland either, kid. But we'll get into that later. I need to start the first chapter! Will you please...?

Ami: **MewCuxie12 does not own Shugo Chara!**

Cuxie: Ha! I remembered! And since I did it first chapter I never hafta do it again! :P Ahem, rolling!

* * *

..._Ok. It's ok. Calm down. I can do it,_I chanted over and over in my head as I reached a shaking hand towards the doorknob of the 4th grade Sun class. It's the first day of school. I'm always so nervous on the first day. Last year, just like today, I stood outside the door for who-know's-how-long, building up the courage to go inside. Hoping it wouldn't be so bad.

I really hope it's not so bad.

Still shaking slightly, I opened the door and entered as quietly as possible, hoping I wouldn't be noticed. A few heads turned my way and I instinctively looked down at my feet. No one spoke to me as I made my way to an empty desk in the corner.

A lot of the students were clustered in small groups, talking about what they did on their break, catching up with their friends. I recognized some kids from my class last year. Silently, I took out my notebook and pencil and waited for our teacher. We had about six minutes until class started and some people were still arriving.

"Hey, isn't that Amu Hinamori's sister?"

I tensed up and hung my head down, pretending not to hear. Two boys in front of me were openly staring and conversing about me. I didn't recognize them, so I doubt they were in my class last year. I pretended to write something in my notebook.

"I think so. But she doesn't look anything like her sister."

"Yeah, she's kind of..._plain_."

I kept scribbling nothingness on my book, hoping they'd let it go and forget about me. They were a little rude, but they weren't wrong.

Unlike my sister, Amu, with her silky pink hair and luminous golden eyes, my hair is a boring light brown color. I curl the ends and put it into two pigtails with ribbons each day, unlike Onee-chan, who does a little something different with her hair and her signature 'X' clips everyday. My eyes, for some reason, are a duller, less shiny version of my sister's. I've always wondered how Amu can look so effortlessly beautiful without trying while I just blend into the background. But I guess that's just life. It's always been that way.

"Should we ask her if she's really related to Amu Hinamori?"

"You ask her."

"No, you ask her."

Thankfully, before either of them could decide who would ask me, the teacher entered. Itou-sensei, a woman who looked to be in her mid-30s with short black hair, kindly asked us to have our seats.

The first day of school is always the easiest, work-wise. No homework and no real classwork. The 80 minutes stretched on endlessly as Itou-sensei explained the class rules, materials we'd need, and a short synopsis of what we'd be doing this year. And still there wasn't enough time. All throughout class one of the boys tried to get my attention. I pretended not to notice, but I knew as soon as class ended I'd be ambushed. So I spent my time trying to figure out what I would say.

The only reason I did this was because--

"Oh my! I completely forgot to take attendance!" Sensei cried.

Well, that's pretty much why.

I listened carefully, waiting for my name to be called. Honestly, I was a little bit relieved. Maybe once they knew who I was they'd leave me alone.

_You know that's not going to happen,_ a small part of my mind said. I sighed.

"Ami Hinamori?"

"H-Here." I raised my hand slightly, knowing she wouldn't be able to hear my soft voice, but I couldn't bring myself to speak any louder. I was still too nervous.

She smiled down at her attendance sheet. "Hinamori...I had your sister a few years back. She was a darling. How is she, dear?"

I hate it when teachers do this. I know my sister was the perfect student. But I can't stand them drawing unwanted attention to me. Not only that, but now I bet she expects me to be a genius or something. "She's fine."

"Well, please tell her I asked about her."

In front of me, I saw the two boys exchange knowing glances. This definitely wasn't over.

***

At the end of class, just as I predicted, the two boys approached me. I had barely stood up from my desk when they came up to me. They were both grinning like they'd won a prize. The one on the right had shaggy brown hair and bushy eyebrows. The one on the right was taller with bluish-green hair.

"Hey, so you're Amu Hinamori's sister, right?" the blue-haired boy asked me.

I nodded, knowing I'd stutter if I opened my mouth.

"That's so cool! She's like a celebrity! What's she like?" He was speaking kind of loud and some of the other students were stopping to listen.

Before I could answer, not that I really had an answer prepared (What could I say? She's nice, pretty, perfect? They already know that.), the brunette boy started questioning me.

"Isn't she going to be on Utau Hoshina's new album?"

Another girl, whom I recognized from my last class, jumped in as well. "Yeah, I hear she's going to be on the cover with Utau-san!"

"Is it true?"

"Can you get me an autographed CD?"

The questions were coming so fast, I didn't know who was talking or who to answer first, let alone what to say. I clutched my books to my chest. A small crowd of students was surrounding my desk. Crowds make me really nervous. I can never speak when I'm surrounded by so many people. My mouth dries out, my hands start to sweat, and my heart beats too fast. It's nerve-wrecking.

"Are you gonna answer us?" Someone asked impatiently.

Finally, I lost my nerve and ran out of the room, locking in my future for the rest of the year. It's always the same. I never get through the first class. I always get tongue-tied. I never know what to say. I always run away as soon as they start asking about Onee-chan...

My big sister is a legend. An icon. A semi-celebrity on her way to stardom. And she's perfect.

And I mean, _perfect_. In every way possible.

Everyone's heard of Amu Hinamori. Onee-chan's 16 and in the 10th grade. She gets straight A's, she's captain of the volleyball team, and she's the prettiest and most popular girl in Seiyo High School. It's amazing how perfect she is, how many people know her. Most girls would be jealous, hate her even, but Onee-chan's so nice and cool that it's kind of impossible not to like her. And her popularity has sky-rocketed since she agreed to be featured on Utau Hoshina's new _Radiance_album. She's going to be on the cover with Utau-san, my idol, and she even has a few solo songs on the album. Not only that, but she's been close friends with Utau-san for years now. Her manager offered Onee-chan a recording contract. She put it on hold until after she finishes high school.

Now, Onee-chan can't walk down the street without getting asked for her autograph.

I love her so much, but she's made it so hard for me. The only reason anyone ever talks to me is to ask about her. Everyone expects me to be perfect too but...I'm not. I can't be.

Amu was well-known even when she was my age. She used to be the Joker of the Guardians and the coolest girl in school. Everyone knew the Cool&Spicy Amu Hinamori. And she's always had celebrity friends. When she was just a year older than me, Amu did a photo-shoot with Yua Sakurai, the former model now turned singer. She has a picture of them together on her dresser, and in one of Yua-san's interviews she named Amu as her "inspiration for becoming a singer".

How can anyone expect me to be that cool? I'm not even a Guardian and I doubt I'll become one anytime soon. Especially the Joker, which is supposedly a rare Guardian that's only appointed every few years. There hasn't been one since my sister.

I was so distracted by my thoughts that I wasn't looking were I was going. My head was ducked and I was running blindly through an nearly deserted hall in the general direction of my gym class.

I rammed into someone, sending us both to the floor. My books flew out of my hands.

"Ow!"

"Oh, I-I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean..." My voice trailed off as I stared at the person I knocked down.

Makoto Seo stared back at me with dark blue eyes. Dirty-blonde hair fell across his face and he looked confused. Seo-san is the current Jack's chair of the Guardians. He's also a member of the track team. Everyone likes him because he's so friendly. He'll help anyone who needs it. He's also pretty smart.

Oh my gosh! I ran into a Guardian!

"I-I-I'm sorry!" I cried again.

He laughed and stood up. "It's fine. Accidents happen." He reached out a hand to help me up and I took it. He quickly retrieved the scattered books. "I think this is yours." He handed me my notebook.

"Thank you," I mumbled at my feet.

"You looked like you were in a hurry."

An out! "Y-Yes! I have to get to my gym class. I'm sorry. Bye!" I took off again before he could respond. I'm so stupid! I made a complete fool of myself in front of Seo-san. Now he probably thinks I'm a klutz with a speech impairment or something.

_Amu would never do something like that,_ that small pessimistic voice in my head said. I knew it was right.

***

Gym class isn't my favorite class. In fact, I don't really have a favorite class since I'm not particularly good at anything. I do okay at most stuff, but not great. Not like my sister.

Amu's a great athlete. I've heard rumors that Amu once jumped so high during the high-jump that she practically flew. At this point, I don't think there's anything she can't do.

I just hope no one expects me to do that.

Luckily, we were just running track. It's tiring and boring, but it's not the worst gym exercise. There's not much pressure for me to excel beyond all expectations since we're just running. Which is good because even though I never finish last, I never finish first either.

A group of girls passed me, having their own mini-race. They laughed and teased each other about who would finish first. Watching them, I suddenly felt lonely and longing.

I can't remember ever having a real friend. No one really talks to me. My link to the renowned Amu Hinamori is the only thing that gets me noticed. But I've never had anyone like me for just me. Way back in first and second grade, girls used to come over to my house, but we never played together. They only wanted a closer look at the life of Amu Hinamori. They'd sneak peeks into her room and flutter around her if she happened to be home. In other words, they pretty much ignored me. It hurt so much that I just separated myself from them. Whenever someone wanted to come over, I made some kind of excuse, or I said Onee-chan wouldn't be home and they took back their offer.

I wonder if I'll end up so lonely that I'll go insane.

***

I walked home alone. When I went inside I was greeted by Mama and Papa, as usual. Papa, being Papa, snapped a few pics of me when I walked through the door. He always does that on the first day of school, but I can faintly remember a time when his camera would always be focused on me. A time when I actually enjoyed being the center of attention. When I knew how.

But there's rarely a reason to take pictures of me now. Papa spends his time documenting Amu's growth. Since she's turning into such a "lovely young woman" and "growing up so fast", he takes pictures whenever she goes out to a party of to hang with friends, or something special. Which is often.

Needless to say, I don't do anything of any interest, so pictures of me are useless. But Papa takes one sometimes. Just because.

Amu was in the kitchen, helping Mama with dinner. Mama swears she's just helping Amu since she's the better cook now.

Amu looked up and smiled at me. "Hey, Ami."

"Hi, dear. How was school?" Mama asked.

I forced a smiled for both of them. "Great. I got a really nice teacher. Itou-sensei says 'Hi'."

"Say hi for me too," Amu said. "She was a pretty cool teacher. You got lucky."

I nodded, heading for the stairs.

"Dinner's going to be in about 25 minutes," Mama called.

"Um, actually I'm not very hungry. Today was pretty tiring. We did a lot of running in gym. If it's ok, I'm gonna go take a bath and get in bed." That was technically true. I wasn't at all hungry. And the thought of sitting through dinner while Amu told us about her fabulous day did drain me of my energy, considering I had nothing at all to talk about. I went to school and did work. Just a typical day of my boring life.

After a hot shower I was feeling a little sleepy. I slipped into a pair of pink pajamas and curled up into my bed. My room hasn't changed in years. It's still fluffy and pink with dolls and stuffed animals in various places. It's the one place I feel like me. When I'm in my room I can easily imagine the cutesy, perky little girl who used to live here. I really can't say when that girl turned into a such a shy outcast. But I wish I could get her back.

_I wish I could be like that again._

* * *

Cuxie: Woooow. I typed that all in one sitting. I'm so proud of myself!^-^

Ami: I...I don't know what to say.

Cuxie: Yeah, I know. I bet you're all like, _What happened to the adorable Ami we all knew and loved?_To that I say: If she were here there'd be no story. So, yeah. And for those of you who are thinking that this is just going to be a repeat of Amu's life, you're wrong. That'd be boring and unoriginal. And I'm ALL about original. So prepare yourselves! And R&R if you want a chapter two!


	2. A Little Crazy

Cuxie: Back again!

Amu: Already?

Cuxie: No.

Ami: Cuxie-san, Onee-chan, what are you two doing?

Cuxie: Killing time before the chapter. What are _you _doing? Hmm?

Ami: I...I...

Amu: Oh, layoff. This is her story.

Cuxie: Alright, alright. Let's get this show on the road. Just so ya know, people, the beginning may seem like a rerun, but it's not. Trust me.

* * *

_**Beeeep!**_

_**Beeeep!**_

_**Be-Beeeeep!**_

I tapped the large red button on the top of my alarm clock. Going to bed early had left me well-rested and energized. I turned slightly and felt something press into my side. I stuck my hand under the blanket, digging around until a felt something warm and smooth that I'm sure wasn't my skin. I pulled it out.

"An...egg?" I turned it in my hand, examining it. It looked like a decorated egg. It was light pink with a large yellow daisy that encircled it. "A toy maybe? But I don't remember ever getting something like this..." I muttered to myself. "I wonder if it opens." A brief image of a candy filled plastic egg popped into my mind. I pinched the egg slightly between my fingers, then tried turning it, but nothing happened. I didn't want to break it, so I put it in my dresser drawer. "I'll figure it out later."

It only took me a few minutes to get dressed. Unlike my sister, I've never bothered to customize my uniform. I wouldn't know how.

I looked at myself in the mirror as I finished buttoning up my blazer. I'd forgotten to put in my curlers last night. My hair was limp and droopy, except for the curled piece in the front. Without even trying, I knew my usual pigtails would be sad. Maybe I should just wear it out...

After brushing my hair out, I discovered I looked even more nondescript without my pigtails. I'm still not quite sure if this is a good thing or not.

"Ami! Ami, have you seen my belt?" Amu asked, coming to stand in my doorway. "The little silver one. I can't remember what I did with it." She was already dressed in her uniform. The only real difference between the school level uniforms was the colors. In Elementary, the boys have blue uniforms and the girls have red ones. In Middle, all the students have green uniforms. In High School, the color is teal. Amu's teal skirt was already belted three times. Her tie had a heart button clipped to the end of it. Her jacket was open and the sleeves were folded under the sleeves of her white button-down shirt. Her hair was swept into a side ponytail with a white 'X'-clip.

"I haven't seen your belt."

She sighed, then cocked her head at me. "You're wearing your hair down today?"

My cheeks flushed. "I-I don't know...I forgot to curl my hair and my pigtails don't look right. I wasn't sure--"

"I have the curlers in my room." Before I could protest, she had gone back to her room to retrieve them. I was rooted in my spot in front of the mirror when she returned brandishing a small curling iron. "It's still hot."

"Y-You don't have to..." I mumbled as she stood behind me and started to pull my hair back. It was already obvious that she didn't plan on doing my hair in it's usual style. "I mean, won't you be late?"

She shook her head. "We've got plenty of time. The first few days back are always calmer. It's nice not having to rush for once." I had no idea what she was talking about. Onee-chan leaves before I do, so I don't always see her go, but I've never seen her rush. She always ends up looking perfect.

I stared into the mirror listlessly. Amu was concentrating on my hair. For lack of anything else to do, I ended up comparing our faces for the upteenth time.

Amu's was as flawless as ever. She's old enough to wear make-up, but she rarely goes beyond lipgloss and eyeshadow. Her eyes were bright and clear. Her skin was slightly tan. From volleyball, I assumed.

My face was so inadequate next to hers I felt ashamed. I can't wear make-up. My skin is pale and chalky. My eyes, gazing back at me from the mirror, were dull.

Something resembling anger welled up inside of me. _Why? Why does she get to be the pretty one?_ a small part of my brain asked. Jealous. _Why does she get to be the glamorous celebrity when I have to be your average nobody? It's not fair!_ I blinked back angry tears, hating myself for thinking like that. For disliking my sister, even for a half-second.

"There!" Amu stepped back to admire her work. I blinked at myself in the mirror, finally realizing what she'd done to me.

My hair was in a high ponytail with curled ends, tied with a bright red ribbon instead of my usual pale pink ones. Two locks of hair framed either side of my face in ringlets. Simple but sweet.

It looked...pretty.

"You look great. Now I've gotta take off. I promised I'd meet Rima and Yaya--Ami?" I'd wrapped my arms around her waist and buried my face in her stomach. (Amu's on the tall side and I'm on the short side. Go figure.) "Ami, what's wrong?"

I'm such a terrible person! My sister takes her time to help me look good and how do I repay her? I get jealous and start thinking mean things about her. No wonder I don't get to be the pretty one. I don't deserve it.

"Mm mwry..." I mumbled into her stomach.

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Oh, that's right. She doesn't know what I was thinking.

"I-I mean, thank you. For doing my hair." I pulled away from her awkwardly.

She laughed nervously. "No problem, kid." She patted my head softly and gave me an odd look. "There's definitely something different about you. And just can't put my finger on it." Different? Different how?

After she left, I closed my door and went back to my mirror. I stared at myself, turning my head to different angles.

My hair looked pretty. Now if only I had a face to match.

***

As it turns out, my new hairstyle hardly made me the center of attention. Although most of the girls in my class were clustered near my desk, no one seemed to noticed. They were surrounding the desk next to mine. A couldn't see what was drawing their attention, but one voice rose up above all the others.

"I had it customized! It was _very_ expensive, but money is no object for _my_ family!" A high-pitched giggle followed this statement.

Curiosity got the better of me and I stood up to try to see as well. I took a step closer. I was shorter than most of the girls, but closer up I was able to see Kamiko Yamabuki, the Guardians' Queen Chair, holding up her cell phone. Something was dangling off of it.

Yamabuki-san is always surrounded by friends. Her family's very rich and she has really nice stuff. She usually has something new for show every week. She has a sister in Onee-chan's grade and they look alot alike. They both have the same reddish-brown hair and green eyes, even though Kamiko's hair is a darker color. She wears it pulled back in one large curly mass.

The girl in front of me stepped closer. "A Ware-cellphone charm? I went to a festival once that had a booth that made these. They draw a chibi-version of you and then they cut it into some kind of porcelain or crystal thing. It's really cool. You get to watch them paint it and everything!"

Yamabuki-san sniffed and pulled her phone out of reach. "Well, I certainly didn't get this from some street-side booth. My father had a foreign artist create this likeness for me." The way she held it up high finally allowed me a clear view. It was a chibi-version of Yamabuki-san, smiling with her hands pressed together.

Seeing it made my eyes light up. I have a weakness for cute things. But something inside me finally..._popped_.

I lunged forward and pulled the phone from her hands. She gasped.

"Hey! What do you think you're--"

"That's so cute! It looks just like you!"

As quickly as it came, the rushing feeling inside me vanished and I felt slightly disoriented. I was standing in the center of girls, holding Yamabuki-san's cellphone in my hands. Everyone was staring at me as if I had just materialized out of nowhere. I looked at Yamabuki-san who was glaring.

What the heck came over me?!

A soft giggle interrupted the silence. It was coming from Yamabuki-san's bag. A small face was peeking out. I did a double take. I looked at it and it looked at me. It's small cornflower blue eyes widened and its mouth gaped. But that was all I saw before Yamabuki-san stepped closer to me, blocking my view.

"I-I'm sorry," I said quickly, hoping she wouldn't eat me alive like she seemed to be aching to do. "I didn't mean to grab it like that. I just really liked it. It's so cute. You're lucky to have stuff like this." I hoped she understood me since I was speaking so fast. Remembering, I handed the phone back over to her.

But she must've since she appeared to be simmering down. "Yes, well, I suppose you couldn't help yourself. I guess it isn't everyday you see such refined art in such a cute form. But do try to control your jealousy next time. I'd be happy to let you have a closer look." If anything, she seemed a little pleased by the idea that I was that overcome with jealousy.

Which really wasn't the case. I wasn't overcome with jealousy, I was overcome with...with...

I don't know! Nothing like that's ever happened to me before!

Quickly, I nodded and retreated to my desk. Even after Itou-sensei arrived, I couldn't take my mind off of what had happened. True, Yamabuki-san wasn't upset, and apparently I hadn't made _that_ big of a fool of myself since no one had laughed at me. No one but...

What _was _that thing in Yamabuki-san's bag? A pet maybe that she had brought to school? But it didn't look furry. It's face looked human...and it laughed....

I glanced over at Yamabuki-san. She was seated next to me, working diligently. I was shocked to see a small...person. Sitting on the edge of her desk, swinging it's legs and whistling. It had curly, orange-red hair. It was wearing a yellow shirt with a smiley face on it and a blue skirt.

"What now?" Yamabuki-san hissed. "Don't tell me you're jealous of my looks now too."

I blinked, realizing I had been openly staring. "No. I wasn't, I-I...I...I'm sorry." I turned away, my cheeks burning, and made myself focus on my work.

For at least twenty more minutes, class went like this: I glanced over at Yamabuki-san's desk. The small doll-like person was remained there. It took a lot of my willpower to keep from reaching out and grabbing it. It was adorable. Whatever it was.

And I swear I saw Yamabuki-san _talking_ to it!

So it's not just me, right? I'm not seeing things. I'm not going crazy. I'm not. I'm not. _I'm not_.

Oh gosh, I hope I'm not.

***

Halfway through class, a Guardians meeting was called and Yamabuki-san left. The odd creature floated after her. A few minutes after she was gone, I began to wonder if I had imagined the whole thing. Maybe Yamabuki-san hadn't come to school at all. Maybe I had been daydreaming.

Maybe I was nuts.

"I'm losing it," I sighed.

"Don't say that!"

I jumped in my seat and glanced around quickly. Everyone was working. No one was looking at me like they had just said something.

_Stay calm. It's ok. Just relax. You're not crazy. You're just nervous. You're hearing and seeing things. They're not real_, I tried to reason with myself. I took deep, yoga breaths. Breathe in. Count to 5. Breathe out. I saw the technique on an infomercial a few years ago. Ever since then, I do this whenever I feel like I'm about to panic. It's supposed to "calm the system".

_Plop_. My bag fell over. I leaned down to prop it up against the leg of my desk again, when the little pink and yellow egg rolled out.

"Ah." I grabbed it. There was a cracking in the middle that was extending itself. The top half broke off and a little face peered out at me and smiled.

"Hi!"

"AH!"

"Hinamori-san, what's wrong?" Itou-sensei asked. The class was staring at me. I looked from the teacher's expectant face, to the..._thing_ in my hand, and back again. Couldn't she see it? "Well?"

"I...I...I-I have to go to the bathroom!" Without waiting for an answer, let alone a bathroom pass, I fled the room for the second time.

"Hey, where are we going?"

I didn't stop running until we were outside. The courtyard was completely deserted, which made the chances of someone finding me talking to some bite-sized doll-thing slim.

"What's wrong?" It asked me.

I squeezed it in my hands. "What's wrong?! What's wrong is that I'm losing my mind! What _are _you? And why did you follow me to school? Do things like you hide in everyone's school bags or something? Because Yamabuki-san had one too. Where did you come from? I left you--your egg--at home in my drawer! How'd you get out?!" I asked frantically.

It's little face turned purple and it started flapping it's arms around. "...A-Air...!" I loosened my grip a bit. "Whew!" It took a few huge gulps of air. "Meanie! That hurt!"

"Were you even listening?!" My voice rose to a high-pitch that edged on panic. "What _are_ you?"

"I'm Daisy! Your Guardian Character! Or chara for short." She winked at me and then wiggled her way out of my hands. "Nice to meet you!" She jumped up and hugged my cheek.

"Wha...Huh?"

"Agh! Get back here!" My head snapped up, looking around for whoever was prepared to drag me back inside. Instead, I saw a very familiar boy in a baseball uniform come from around the corner, brandishing a large glowing metal bat. He swung it back and forth angrily. An angry baseball player. That wouldn't be _so _unusual...

If he wasn't flying.

I fell to my knees.

"Stay...still!" A round black object evaded his swings and took off into the sky. "Darn! Almost had it!" The boy groaned and landed easily on his feet. For a brief second, he started to glow. And then the baseball uniform and giant bat were gone and I recognized him.

Seo-san.

"It got away," yet _another _flying doll said. This one literally appeared out of nowhere. It had blue hair and a baseball uniform almost identical to the one Seo-san had been wearing. "You sure you don't wanna go after it?"

"We don't have time. We--Uh-oh." I think he saw me then, but I'm not sure because I was too busy trying to process all this. Flying eggs. Talking dolls. Superpowered baseball players. I'm losing it! I'm insane! Someone help me! "Um...you didn't, uh, see that, right? Hinamori-san?"

"Are you okay, Ami-chan?" The pink-clad doll asked me, flying in front of my face and obscuring my view of Seo-san. I was still on my knees, staring blankly into space. Black spots were creeping into my vision. One moment, I was looking at the blurry form of a small floating creature waving her arms in front of me. Then I was staring up at the sky. "Ami-chan!"

I heard it call my name.

I felt something touch my hand. And then...

Nothing.

* * *

Cuxie: Well...Ami handled that well.

Ami:(blush) Sorry.

Cuxie: It's fine. I'm just surprised I was able to type another long chapter! Just like--uh, anyway...

Ami: Just like what?

Cuxie: Shut-up! She'll hear!

Ami: Who?

Cuxie: I can't--Oh, crap! She's coming! I can feel it! There isn't much time!

Ami: What?! What are you talking about? Who's coming?

Cuxie: No time to explain! Must flee! R&R!! AAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!


	3. Very Confused

Cuxie: Wow, I can't believe how long it's been. Gomen minna-san! My computer's been acting up. I'm gonna hafta get a new one.

Ami: You left us all in suspense.

Daisy: Yeah!

Ami:...Will someone please tell me what this is?T-T

Cuxie: I will do it through a creative writing process called...updating! Roll chappy!

* * *

"Do you think she'll be alright?"

"Well, I don't see why not. But really, Seo-san! What were you thinking bringing her here? We're about to have a meeting."

"It _is_ a bit bothersome."

"See? Akio-sama agrees with me."

"Well, I couldn't just leave her!"

The dull buzzing sound rapidly grew louder until I could make out the familiar voices of people arguing. Well, two were familiar. I immediately knew Yamabuki-san's high-pitched voice. Seo-san's was familiar as well, but the other I couldn't make out.

As my senses came back into focus I realized I was lying down. Underneath me was a thin softness that barely concealed the hardness of the ground underneath. Like someone had laid a blanket out on cement. The sun beat down on the side of my face and I turned away as I opened my eyes. Flowers bloomed all around me and the sweet smell was intoxicating. I could hear the distant sound of birds chirping and a rush of water like a brook or fountain.

So clearly I was dreaming. Or maybe this was just further proof that I was losing my mind. I mean, people don't normally just wake up in strange magical places, do they?

"She's awake, you know." This statement, followed by silence, caused me to turn to the voice. It took me a moment to realize they had been arguing over _me_.

A dark-haired boy with deep brown eyes stared at me with a bored, uninterested expression. Akio Inokuma. Now I _know_ I'm dreaming. Or crazy. Normal people don't just wake up and find themselves in the middle of the some fantasy land with the Guardian's King Chair watching over them. "You interrupted our meeting."

Well, it's not exactly like I meant to be here. Nonetheless, I suddenly felt very small in his presence. "S-Sorry." I sat up, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious. I've never been this close to Inokuma-senpai before. And he's standing about ten feet away from me now.

Akio Inokuma is the upperclass King's Chair. The eldest Guardian by a year whereas Seo-san and Yamabuki-san are in my grade. I've only ever seen him in the halls or speaking at assemblies. And of course I've heard plenty of girls talking about him, usually in hushed excited voices since most girls have a crush on him. He really is like a king. Confident and self-assured when he's on stage speaking. But there's something so distant about him. Almost frightening.

"Here you go Hinamori-san." My view of Inokuma-senpai was suddenly blocked by a glass being thrust into my face. I jumped slightly, wondering just when Seo-san had come to kneel beside me. I thanked him and took it, grateful for a reason not to speak as a gulped down the water. "Look, I know what you saw was pretty weird, but there's an explanation for it. Honestly."

I looked down at the now empty glass to avoid looking at anyone. What did I see? How did I get here? The last thing I recall for sure was my embarrassing incident with Yamabuki-san's cellphone this morning. Everything after that is just a blur of hallucinations, talking dolls, baseball....I must've been dreaming. Never mind how or when I fell asleep.

Oh my gosh, that's it! I'm here because I was so rude to Yamabuki-san! She brought me here to receive my punishment for acting out against a Guardian! "I'm so sorry!" I buried my face in my hands to smother the oncoming tears. What are they going to do to me? Can they have me suspended? Or even expelled?! "I'm so sorry! Please don't expel me! I don't know why I did it, but I promise it'll never happen again!"

I heard someone sigh and then Inokuma-senpai said, "I think she's delusional."

Someone, Seo-san I assumed, patted my shoulder awkwardly. "Um, what are you talking about Hinamori-san?"

"My punishment. You're not gonna expel me, are you?"

"Punishment? Expell you? What are you talking about?"

I peeked out through my fingers, trying to right my breathing and regain _some_composure. "Y-Yamabuki-san brought me here to be punished...Didn't she?" Seo-san blinked. His _What on Earth is this about?_ expression didn't change a bit. None of that seemed to register for even a second with him.

"Me?" Yamabuki-san shrieked indignantly, as if I had accused her of something terrible. "I most certainly did _not_bring you here!" She placed both hands on her hips and stared me down, pausing only to cast a few darting glances to her right at Inokuma-senpai.

I blinked at her, a few stray tears falling from my eye lashes. "You...didn't? Then how..."

Seo-san cleared his throat, looking a bit sheepish. "I'm the one who brought you here. You, uh, kinda passed out in the courtyard. I couldn't leave you there, so I brought you here on my way to the meeting."

I passed out? That doesn't sound like me. I freak out, breakdown, and occasionally fall apart, but I can't recall ever passing out before. _And Seo-san...He brought me here? Oh, gosh. I'm so confused..._

"I know what you saw probably seemed pretty weird, but I swear I can explain everything," he said quickly.

_What I saw?_"Y-You mean in the courtyard? That was real?" That's not possible. Briefly, an image of the flying baseball player entered my mind. Impossible. He...He couldn't have been flying. It's just not possible. And that had been Seo-san, wasn't it?

I looked over at him, trying desperately to look him directly in the face and see in his eyes that he was joking. He wouldn't meet my eyes, but he didn't deny that it had been real.

"That was you, wasn't it? Seo-san?" He nodded. Barely.

"Well, this was brilliant, Makoto. 'Let's just explain everything to her.' She doesn't even believe it." Inokuma-senpai plopped his feet up on a nearby table, his indifferent expression shifting to one of irritation. "We could've let her think it was a dream."

"I know what I'm doing, Inokuma," Seo-san argued, his voice taking on a hard edge. "I still think we should explain to her."

"And divulge the Guardians' biggest secret?"

"Am I the only one who sees the possibility here? You said yourself, if we didn't find someone soon there'd be an empty chair for the ceremony."

"And you think she's fit to fill the position?"

Seo-san huffed impatiently. "I don't see why not! And we don't exactly have that many eligible people to choose from."

Their conversation was flying completely over my head. Clearly this was a past issue they were revisiting, though I'm not sure how I fit into it. But I was a little to caught up in the fact that they were actually _arguing_.

The Guardians are a force. A team. One unit that works together for the rights of students. They're grouped together so often, at assemblies, on duty, in general conversation. It never occurred to me that they might not all get along. Especially considering Seo-san typically gets along with everyone. But I guess now that I think about it I've never really seen them just hanging out together. They're always on duty.

"Hinamori-san."

My head snapped up. "Y-Yes?"

They seemed to be done arguing. Seo-san was looking flushed, yet triumphant. Inokuma-senpai was looking, once again, bored. "I need to ask you something...and I need to explain something too. But first...Daisy?"

He repeated himself and I was about to respond when I realized he was calling someone. It took a few moments, but just as I was beginning to think that name sounded familiar, I was assaulted again by the flying doll in the pink dress. "Ami-chan!" it cried, attaching itself to my cheek. "You're okay!"

"You!" I cringed away as she flitted around me excitedly. My mind was spinning again, unable to hold on to a single thought or concept, trying to figure out a million things at once, comparing what I saw to the logic I _thought_ I knew. Dolls. Do. Not. Fly! Or talk! Or do any of the things this little thing is doing!

"I take it you don't know what she is." Seo-san stated, smiling sympathetically. He offered me his hand and I took it, standing shakily. (Had I been sitting on the floor this whole time?) He led me to a round table set with a ornate china tea set. A plate of fancy-looking cookies sat in the center, untouched. I sank into the seat, trying desperately to control my shaking limbs. "Would you like any?" I shook my head, doubting my ability to stomach anything at the moment. "You should at least have some tea. It's still hot. It'll help calm you down." He poured me a cup and slid it my way, watching silently until I finally took a small sip. It did help. The warm sweetness easing my tension. My muscles relaxed, if only slightly.

"Oooh! Cookies!" Daisy settled down beside the platter, snatching off a cookie, which was bigger than her head, and biting into it. "Nyummy!" My eyes settled firmly on her, taking in her cute appearance and energetic attitude while steadily sipping my tea.

"Try the German chocolate crunch. They're delicious," The red-haired doll I saw with Yamabuki-san earlier sat down beside Daisy, breaking off a peice of her cookie and biting into it.

I took another large sip of my tea, as well as a deep breath, and turned to Seo-san, feeling helpless. "Please...w-what are they?"

This time he looked me squarely in the eye. "They're charas; Guardian Characters. To put it simply, they're your would-be self."

"'Would-be'...?" So far I wasn't following. Daisy told me the same thing earlier, but none of it made sense.

He ran a hand through his hair. "It doesn't happen very often, but when a child wishes to be different or change their character, an egg is born from that wish. And from that egg comes a chara. Are you following so far?"

_Last night..._Thinking back, I remembered wishing to be different; to be the way I was when I was little. Although I really had no hope it would come true. But then this morning I found an egg... "I think so. But what do, um, charas do exactly?"

"They help you change. To be that person you want to be."

"Yeah, yeah!" Daisy piped up. She jumped up and over to me. "From now on we're in this together! We'll have lots of fun!" I stared at her, watching her wink at me and twirl around in her little pink dress. She's _adorable_. Completely cute in every way. There's no way I can ever be like that. Not in a million years.

_Still..._ There was something so oddly familiar about her I couldn't find it in my heart to reject her. I hesitated a bit, but held out my hand. She landed on my palm, smiling big with round rosy cheeks.

"So do you think you're okay now?" Seo-san asked, grinning.

I bit my lip, nodding slightly. "How do you know all this, Seo-san?"

"Well, that goes along with the thing I wanted to ask you. The...the number one requirement to being a Guardian is that you must have a Guardian Character." He looked at me and paused, seeming to be waiting for me to interject. When I didn't he went on. "Not a lot of kids have them...so the chairs don't always get filled. Like now. We don't have an Ace." He paused again, glancing over at Yamabuki-san and Inokuma-senpai who seemed to be having their own conversation. Or, at least, Yamabuki-san was. She was talking animatedly, trying to hold Inokuma's attention, and although I don't really know him I'm sure that's no small feat. He seemed to be paying a bit of attention, but at the same time watching us closely. He looked directly at me and raised an eyebrow. I heard Seo-san mutter something before I whirled around in my seat, face burning. Seo-san looked back at me pleadingly. "And since you do have one..."

It clicked. And I can't believe it didn't sooner. As soon as the words left his mouth it clicked and my mind went numb, my eyes widened. I was already shaking my head.

"Hinamori-san, please...just listen--"

But I couldn't. I wouldn't. I stood up, making the table clatter. I turned away from him. "P-Please...please don't ask me that," I begged softly. Of course. Everything. Every moment of my life leads back to _her_.

"Hinamori-san--"

Before he could stop me, before I could hear the disappointment in his voice, I ran. For the second time in in two days I fled the room, briefly wondering if this would become a pattern. I heard Daisy call out behind me, but I kept running.

I forced myself to block out all sound until I could only hear my thundering footsteps. My eyes stung, blurring my vision, but I kept running, wiping furiously at my face, trying to get away before I completely fell apart. Vaguely, I wondered if I was leaving school property.

Why? Why does _everyone_ always do that? Why don't they understand that I can't be like my sister? Isn't it obvious enough just looking at me? I'm not beautiful or talented. I'm not smart or athletic. I'm not popular. I'm not famous. I'm not _her_! And I never will be. But no one gets it. Now they want me to be a Guardian. A pathetic follow-up in my sister's footsteps. I can't do it. I _won't_ do it. I'm not going to embarrass myself by trying to be like her.

My legs gave out beneath me. I fell into the grass, not caring where I was or who saw me. Tears streamed freely down my face and I sobbed, loud and unrestricted. I let myself cry. Feeling pathetic, worthless, scared, and ashamed. The feelings changed rapidly. Guilt from letting Seo-san and the Guardians down. Self-pity from not being able to live up to anyone's expectations. The feelings were all different, but the tears were the same.

And then I thought of Daisy. Her cute smile. Her happy attitude. I thought of her calling out to me and found myself hoping she'd followed. Because I finally realized what was so familiar about her. She looked and acted _exactly_ like me when I was little.

She was just what I wished for.

* * *

Cuxie: Oooh! Ami, why'd you hafta go and do that?!

Ami: I-I didn't...I mean...you made me!

Daisy: Yeah, Cuxie-chan!"

Cuxie: Oh. Right. Heehee. Well, you didn't hafta run out like that. So dramatic.

Ami: I-I'm sorry!

Daisy: Oh, Ami-chan!

Cuxie: Nana~R&R! Onegai minna-san!


	4. So Doubtful

Cuxie: Whoo! Heeey! I'm turning to SC once again! I think my TMM reign is over.T_T

Ichigo: WHAT?!

Cuxie: Wrong story! Get outta here!

Ichigo: Hmph! We'll discuss this later!(storms out)

Cuxie:(muttering) Pink-haired freak...

Amu: Are you talking about me?!

Cuxie: No! Now hush, some of us have stories to write.

Amu: Type.

Cuxie: Whatever! Rolling!

* * *

I don't know how long I was there.

When I finally calmed down enough to take notice of where I was, I was relieved to find I wasn't as far from the school as I had thought. And, thankfully, I was alone. I wiped my hand across my face, which felt sticky with tears. I could only imagine what I must look like. I needed to go clean up.

"Where am I?" I mumbled, getting to my feet. From where I was standing, I could see the back of the glass structure that was the Royal Garden. _I only went to the back of the school yard?_ I thought, growing more embarrassed by the second.

I could've handled that better. A lot better. Instead of calmly declining I made a fool of myself and ran out crying. More proof I'm not fit to be a Guardian. They're all much more composed than I could ever hope to be.

Shaking my head to rid the thoughts, I focused in front of me. I appeared to be standing in a garden. Again. At a quick glance, it looked extrodanarily beautiful. Hundreds of colorful flowers were arranged in square and rectangular flowerbeds and a white bench sat in the far corner, near a pagoda. It appeared lovely.

But looking closer, I saw the flowers were withered and dry, and weeds sprang up all over the beds. The paint on the bench and pagoda was chipping terribly. The whole place looked as if it hadn't been tended to in a long time.

"I wonder who takes care of this..." Or who's supposed to, anyway.

I stepped closer, frowning at the poor state the flowers were in. _Maybe there's some water around here..._ I looked around and spotted a a spout sprouting up from the ground near the far wall. I went to it, picking up the rusted bucket lying on it's side next to it. The spout was rusted too. It creaked when I tried to turn the handle, leaving red crease marks and rust on my hands, but I didn't care. The water came out in a little trickle, but it was enough.

I kneeled on the ground, waiting for the bucked to fill up. _I wonder if Daisy will come home with me today._I'm not entirely sure how I feel about having a...chara. It seems so surreal. Like something out of a shoujo manga or something. But I guess I did wish for her. If anyone's responsible for her being here, it's me, at least according to Seo-san. I doubt she'll be able to change me though.

I lifted the bucked slowly; it was filled almost to the brim and the handle was broken so I had to grip it by the sides. The flowers seemed grateful for it though. I dind't notice how truly dry the flowerbeds were until I was actually watering them. How did they survive?

"What are you doing?"

I jumped, splashing water everywhere. "Oh..." It splattered my socks and shoes.

Yamabuki-san was regarding me with a somewhat skeptical, somewhat disdainful expression. She kept her distance, but her chara came up to me immediately and, fortunately, Daisy was with her.

"Ami-chan! Are you okay?" She asked, concern etched on her otherwise adorable face. I wasn't at all sure how to respond to that. I'm pretty sure I wasn't okay, but I didn't want to worry her. She seemed to sense that I didn't want to answer. "Have you met Tomo?" she asked, gesturing wildly to the red-haired chara.

Tomo bowed graciously. "A please to meet you, Ami-chan." I bowed as well since it seemed like the polite thing to do.

Yamabuki-san huffed impatiently. "I asked you a question,"

I blinked. "Oh, I-I was, um, watering the flowers..." She didn't seem particularly impressed by this.

"Hmn...Come," she commanded, striding towards the bench and pagoda. She didn't look back to see if I was following her...but how could I not? She's the Queen's Chair. And I think I've offended her more than enough for one day.

She frowned at the bench, or the chipping paint rather, but sat down anyway and waited for me to do the same. "It was rather rude of you to run out like that. I mean, after Seo-san brought you back and we went through all the trouble of making you comfortable and allowing you in the Royal Garden, during a meeting, no less! And then, Seo-san offers you an opportunity most kids at this school would beg to have, and you _turn him down_and run out without a proper goodbye. Really, Hinamori-san. What do you have to say for yourself?"

I sniffled. Great. Now I really _have_ offended the Guardians. "I-I'm sorry. For running out like that. But I can't do it! I can't be Ace!"

"Why not?"

I blinked at her. Wasn't it obvious? I have no friends. I have a problem speaking to any normal person in complete sentences. I've been known to flee a room at the first sign of danger, or in my case, attention that I get. Can she really not see why I can't be the Ace's Chair?

"B-Because...I'm not...fit for the job. I'm not the right kind of person."

"The Guardians are made up of different kinds of people."

Maybe. But not people like _me_. "Well, I don't think I could do the job right. I don't know anything about charas or whatever."

"They're something you learn about upon joining the Guardians. Most people don't even know they exist."

Why is she doing this? Why would Yamabuki-san even want me to join after the way I acted this morning? She's acting as if nothing happened. Why won't she just let this go? I _can't_ be a Guardian... "I-I can't do it...I just can't."

"How would you know that? You haven't even tried the position."

"B-But--"

"Look. Just do it on a trial basis."

"What do you mean?"

She stood up and dusted herself off. "Try it for two weeks. If you don't like it, you can quit. But Akio-sama needs someone for the opening ceremony and you're the only bearer we've managed to find." She turned away from me, her cape swishing behind her. "Think about it."

She's right. I need to think about this rationally. I don't want the Guardians to hate me for turning them down. (I mean, who ever heard of someone turning down the Guardians?) But they might hate me more if I don't do a good job...

"Are you coming?"

Yamabuki-san was still there, both hands placed on her hips. "We haven't got all day you know. And you've _got_ to clean yourself up first if you're going to be seen with me."

I looked down at my muddy shoes and splattered knee-high socks. My face was probably a mess too. "...I guess so. But what about the flowers?" I hadn't gotten to finish watering them. Even though I really should be in class...Oh my gosh! I'm cutting class! I'm going to get into sooo much trouble! I've never gotten detention before. Oh no...

Yamabuki-san didn't seem worried at all. But she's a Guardian. Guardian's don't get in trouble. "Don't worry. You'll get back to them. That's one of the Ace's responsibilities."

***

"Ami-chan! What are you doing?"

This...is _not_ what a wished for.

"Ami-chaaaan! Can you hear me? What's wrong?"

Ugh...just a few minutes. Of peace. _Please_.

"AMI-CHAN!!"

"Hush!" _I can't take it anymore!_ I sprung up, throwing Daisy off the pillow I'd been using to cover my head. This is too much. I need to think about all this. It's a lot. I mean...a Guardian. Wow.

"What's wrong, Ami-chan?" Daisy sat down in front of me on my bed. Looking adorable, but I guess that goes without saying. Am I really supposed to believe this little creature just appeared out of thin air to spice up my boring little life and make me cutesy like her? That's impossible.

"Nothing. I just want some quiet so I can think."

"About what?"

"The Guardians, obviously. They asked me to join them." Where was she when this was happening? I'm pretty sure she was there.

"So you're gonna join, ne?" she asked, bouncing slightly on the bed and then finally standing up and all out jumping up and down.

I sighed. "It's not that simple." I wish I could talk to someone about this. Someone who'd understand. When I got home I briefly considered getting Onee-chan's opinion. Obviously she'd know all about this. But she wasn't, and still isn't, home yet. Mom said she's out with her friends and wouldn't be back until after dinner. Which reminded me again of how unlike my sister I am. I've never gone out with friends before. I don't have any real friends. I don't have the people skills to be a Guardian. And there's no way I can tell Onee-chan what I'm thinking. She might think I'm trying to be like her. (Not that it would upset her or anything. I just don't want to bring more attention to that fact that I'm a loser and she's a star.)

But on the other hand, I've always admired the Guardians. Everyone does. Yamabuki-san, Seo-san, and Inokuma-senpai all have tons of friends. Is that one of the perks of being a Guardian? People automatically like you? Or would everyone just expect more out of me than they already do?

"I think...it sounds like...fun!" Daisy cried in between bounces. "I wanna do it!"

Two weeks might not be so bad. I guess. I've already labeled myself as an outcast who's incable of holding a normal converstion with anyone. How much worse could things really get?

"So what are we going to do tomorrow?" she asked me eagerly.

"Oh! That's right. We need to talk." I can't believe I almost forgot. It was lucky Yamabuki-san was able to get me out of trouble by saying I was needed at the Guardians' meeting. Even if it did get me some unwanted attention. But Daisy still made me run out of class. "You can't go popping up out of my bag whenever you want." Even though they said normal people can't see them, there might be other kids with eggs or something. I saw Tomo before Daisy was even born.

"It's okay! Tomo said we can play while you're in class!"

Well, that's a relief. If anything, Yamabuki-san's chara seems to know how to behave in class. Maybe she can teach Daisy to be more quiet and subtle like her.

"So what do we do tomorrow? Are we gonna do something fun? Go on a trip? Let's go exploring!" Daisy said, enthusiastically. I giggled. She's really cute even if she is kinda loud.

"Well, I think we should finish fixing up the flower garden first. Yamabuki-san said that's the Ace's responsibility and--"

"Ami-chan is Ace!" She attached herself to my cheek again.

"I-I guess so." Two weeks...How bad could it be?

* * *

Cuxie: Boo-yah!

Tomo: I'm glad Ami-chan decided to join.

Cuxie: I think you're my favorite chara so far.^^

Daisy: What about me?.

Cuxie: You're up there. And besides, I haven't even introduced the boys yet.

Hiro: Hello.

Yuta: What's up?

Cuxie: Kawaii desu ne! Stick around for it people! R&R if you want to meet them!


	5. Too Shy

Cuxie: WAHOO!! Scream, Ami!  
Ami: Uh...wahoo?

Cuxie: That's not screaming! SCREAM!!

Ami: Wahoo!

Cuxie: LOUDER!!

Ami: WAHOO!!

Cuxie: Yeah! You know why you're screaming?

Ami: Um, not really, no.

Cuxie: You're screaming 'cause today we test out a possible pairing!

Ami: WHAT?!

Cuxie: Now you've got the hang of it!^-^ Rolling!

* * *

_I...I might be able to handle this._ I smiled to myself, plucking weeds from the flower garden. I've never really tried gardening before. I've seen Mama do it before, but not often. And I don't understand why. It's so peaceful and relaxing. And kinda fun. The flower's still weren't in great condition. They were watered now, and we'd gotten some weeds, but they were still wilted and dying.

"Whoa," Daisy yanked furiously at a small weed, toppling over the side of the flower bed. "Owwie..." she sniffled, rubbing at her little head.

I went to pick her up. "Please try not to hurt yourself. I'll get the tougher ones for you."

"But I got it!" she cried, holding up the freshly plucked plant and grinning triumphantly. I sighed. She just doesn't listen. Sometimes it's cute the way she goes for things with all her might, but only if it's the right thing. Otherwise it's just troublesome. I'm surprised I survived school today.

Unfortunately, Tomo wasn't exactly the good influence I was hoping she'd be on Daisy. If anything, they both seemed more energetic since they had each other to play with. Yamabuki-san ignored them completely, but I couldn't help but be worried someone might notice something. Especially since they spent their time playing on everyone's desks and peeking over their shoulders.

I would've asked Yamabuki-san if this was okay...but she hasn't talked to me since yesterday. After she found me in the courtyard, she waited while I cleaned my shoes and socks off in the bathroom, and when we got to class she told Sensei that I had been needed at the Guardians' meeting. Which meant now everyone in class new that I had something to do with the Guardians. I'll be officially announced as the Ace tomorrow morning, but I'm sure everyone knows by now.

"Hey!"

I jumped, whirling around. I saw it was only Seo-san, but for some reason that didn't calm me down. "S-Seo-san...um, hi." Is that the proper way to greet a Guardian?

But...I am a Guardian. Or at least I will be tomorrow. So it's okay, right?

"You look like you've been working hard," he said, surveying the garden.

I squirmed guiltily. Yes, I'd been working all through lunch and Inokuma-senpai had let me out of the Guardians' meeting to work. I hadn't really wanted to be a part of it. It's not like I knew anything worth contributing. As far as I know, my only job is tending to the flowers. "Oh, I don't know. The flowers are still in pretty bad shape..."

"That's not your fault. We haven't had an Ace in awhile and the gardening supplies isn't much..." He shrugged. "Is there anything you need?"

"Um..." I thought a minute. "Well, maybe some fertilizer. And some of the flowers are a little crowded. Some pots would be good."

He nodded. "Ok then. Let's go."

"Go?"

"To get the stuff."

What? "O-Oh no! I didn't mean I need them right _now_. I-I just meant, I mean, maybe later..."

He didn't look convinced. "The sooner the better though, right? And you said yourself, the flowers _are_ in pretty bad shape," he said, grinning as he turned my words back on me.

I flushed. Not that he's not making sense. I mean, I really don't have anywhere else to be. (A result of having no friends.) But...the thought of going anywhere with Seo-san is...wow. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised he came out to find me. Or maybe he was just passing by.

"Ooh! Can we go, Ami-chan?" Daisy squealed. "You said we'd go on a trip today!

I said no such thing! "I don't know...We haven't even finished the weeding."

A small voice spoke near my ear, "Need any help?"

"WAH!!" I jumped, cringing away from the blue-haired chara who stood over my shoulder. He looked at me with concerned reddish-brown eyes. He looks so familiar, clad in a little baseball uniform; he must be Seo-san's chara.

"Sorry. Did I scare you?"

"Ah, um, I-I'm fine." That didn't sound the least bit convincing.

Seo-san smiled placatingly. "I forgot you haven't met all the charas yet. This is Yuta."

Yuta grinned at me. "Yo."

"Um, hi--"

"I'm Daisy!" My blonde chara introduced herself boldly, smiling. How can she possibly be a part of _me_? There's no way I could ever talk or smile like that. I can barely speak in class when Sensei calls on me! "Are you coming with us? We're going on a trip!"

"Only if Hinamori-san says it's ok," Seo-san mentioned.

I felt myself blush. "I-I guess it'd be alright to go now...I have to be home in time for dinner though." _Why did I say that? I sound so immature! _"Um, let me just get my stuff." I stumbled over to the pagoda. My bag and jacket were laying on the old bench. I picked them up and brushed off some paint flakes. I glanced over my shoulder. Daisy was chattering on to Yuta and Seo-san. I looked away, shoving my arms through my jacket. I didn't think I'd have to go into town today, but at least I won't have to go alone.

Then it hit.

_I'm going into town with Seo-san._

"Hah--!" My throat constricted. I clutched the bench arm. What on Earth am I thinking? I can't go into town alone with Seo-san! What if someone sees us? What if I make a fool of myself? What if--

"Hinamori-san...are you okay?" Seo-san stood behind me. I didn't dare look at him. God only knows what my face must look like.

"I...I..." _I don't think we should go. I don't want anyone to see me. I'm sure to make a fool of myself somehow._

"C'mon, Ami-chan! Let's go!" Daisy yanked on my sleeve.

I steeled myself. _I won't run away this time. I won't. _I turned to face Seo-san. "Yeah...let's go."

***

"Wow!"

As soon as I stepped into the flower shop, catching a glimpse of the array of colors all around me, inhaling the sweet smell of all the flowers, I felt the popping sensation again. Like something inside of me burst open. It was much stronger than the first time. "Look at all the flowers!" I couldn't even acknowledge what I was doing while I raced all over, going from one batch of flowers to the next. Sniffing them, feeling the petals, I stared at everything with wide sparkling eyes.

"They're all so pretty!"

"Um...hello?" And then it was gone again and I was standing in front of an older girl in a green apron, a handful of purple flowers in my arms. I glanced over at Seo-san, confused. He was chuckling quietly. The girl eyed me skeptically. "Uh, please be careful with those."

"Wha...Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" I thrust the flowers into her arms, my face burning. I _knew_ I'd humiliate myself somehow! "I...I...I've never been in a flower shop before...."

She giggled, "It's alright. Although I find that hard to believe. You definitely look like a gardener."

I...look like a gardener? What does that mean? My confusion must've been evident. She pointed discreetly at my shirt. I looked down and gasped.

My usually clean white shirt was covered in dirt and grass stains, as were my shoes and socks. My hands were filthy too. _Mama's going to have a fit! _I buttoned up by black jacket all the way to cover my dirty white shirt. I can't believe I went around outside, with Seo-san of all people, looking like this! How could he not have said something? I was quiet during the walk, but Seo-san chatted easily the whole time. I felt people watching. No one ever watches me when I go into town, which I hardly do. They're usually too busy staring at Onee-chan. No one gives me a second glance, so I figured everyone had been staring at Seo-san. He _is_ really popular. But...maybe they were staring at the filthy, plain-looking girl standing next to him.

I stole a glance at him. He was talking to the sales girl, smiling pleasantly as always. Is it me, or does he look a little too happy? Amused maybe? He...he didn't do this on purpose...did he? Why would Seo-san want to embarrass me like this?

Tears pricked at my eyes. I tried to force them back before anyone saw. "What's wrong, Ami-chan?" Daisy asked worriedly, making Seo-san and Yuta glance over at us. I shook my head, walking towards the towering sunflower plants, wanting desperately to hide myself. If my clothes were this bad, I could only imagine what my face must look like.

"Hinamori-san? What's wrong?" He laid a hand on my shoulder and I flinched away. "Hinamori-san?" He sounded concerned.

My throat felt too tight. "W-Why...didn't you say something?"

"About what?"

I almost snorted. Honestly. I spun around, exasperated and gestured wildly at my clothes. "I'm covered in dirt! You could've told me before we left so I wouldn't have walked around look so...so...unpresentable," I finished quietly. Gosh, I felt so exhausted and humiliated.

Seo-san looked startled. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't know, I mean, I didn't give it much thought."

"You didn't realize you were going to be seen in public with me like _this_?"

He shrugged. "I don't mind. I don't care what you look like." Then he blushed, "T-That's not to say you don't look nice! You do. I mean, your clothes are kinda dirty, but that's okay. If you don't mind, that is." He scratched his head, apparently looking for the right words. "I-I'm sorry. I can take you home. If you want."

I was already shaking my head. It would be such a waste to have gone out looking a mess and not even get what we came for. "We might as well buy the stuff. We're already here." I looked around. The salesgirl was gone and I realized we were the only two customers. And something else was off too... "Where are Daisy and Yuta?"

"Ami-chan! Ami-chan, what are these?" I heard Daisy calling. I followed Seo-san in the direction I heard her voice coming from. "Ami-chan!"

They were at the register. Examining some small colorfully painted flowerpots on the counter. There was a small card taped to the front of the counter. _Fushigi Hana_ it read.

Yuta squinted at them pensively. "They have dirt inside, but no flowers."

"Oh, would you like one?" The salesgirl asked, calling from a doorway near the back of the store. She had two heavy looking bags in her hands.

"What are they?"

"They're our special _Fushigi Hana_; Mystery Flowers. Each pot contains the suitable dirt for the seed in the package. All you have to do is give them water and sunlight."

"What kind of flowers are they?" Seo-san asked.

The girl smiled. "That's the fun part. You don't know until they grow and bloom."

"Ooh! I want one," Daisy cried. "I want this one Ami-chan!" She touched a small pink flowerpot with white polka dots. "Can we get this one? Please!" She put on kira-kira eyes and looked at me expectantly.

Seo-san chuckled. "Can you really say no to that face?"

I sighed, "Guess not."

***

"I didn't realize it was so late already." The sun was setting. I'm going to be late for dinner, I know it.

Seo-san carried the two heavy bags which contained the fertilizer and flowerpots. I offered to help, but he insisted on doing it himself. So instead I carried my school bag, and my new flowerpot.

"I wonder what kind of flower it'll be," Daisy mused. "Do you think it's a sunflower?!"

"Uh, probably not." That'd be way to big for this little pot.

Seo-san laughed again. "You know, after I met her I wondered what your Chara Change would be like. It was just what I expected."

...What's he talking about? "My Chara Change?"

He looked surprised. "I guess I didn't explain that part. Do you remember when I said that the job of a chara is to help you change? To be the person you want to be?" I nodded. "Well, part of that includes Chara Changing. It's like, a brief change in character. You act a way you wouldn't normally."

Act a way you wouldn't normally...."Y-You mean all that stuff was Daisy's fault?! Acting crazy back there? And Yamabuki-san's cell phone--!" I don't believe it! This whole time I thought I was losing my mind! "Daisy!"

"It was fun!"

"You can't do stuff like that without telling me first! Oh, I must've looked like an idiot," I moaned, ducking my head. It's bad enough she made me skip class the other day _and_ she was goofing off today, but now because of her I don't have control over the way I act anymore? I...I can't handle that.

"You didn't," Seo-san said suddenly.

I looked over before I could stop myself. He was staring straight ahead and I couldn't read his expression. "Huh?"

"You didn't look like an idiot. It...It was cute."

I don't even remember the rest of the trip home. It was like being in a dream. I walked home with Seo-san, came in, and went to my room like I was in some sort of trance. It wasn't until Daisy started moving my things around that I realized I was even in my room. Did I even say goodbye to Seo-san? Did he walk me all the way to the door? Did Mama or Papa ask where I'd been? (Probably. But I have no clue what I said.)

_"It was cute." _Did he mean that? Part of me wanted to assume it was a joke and forget it. But the way he said it...I just feel like I can trust Seo-san for some reason. I don't know what it is, but he seems different from other boys.

Through my thoughts, I could hear Daisy chattering on about the flower, which I'd placed on my windowsill. "It looks good there." I just have to remember to water it now...

"I can't wait until it blooms!" Daisy cried, twirling all around in her little pink dress.

Me either.

"Ami! Dinner!" Amu called. As it turns out, I wasn't as late as I thought I was.

_That's it. _As soon as I heard her voice, it clicked. And I'm surprised I didn't realize it earlier. I mean, I usually have to brace for it with everyone. But not Seo-san...

He's the first boy I've ever talked to that hasn't asked about Amu.

* * *

Cuxie: This chapter went a little differently than expected. As you can see, Ami reacts to cute things the way Rima reacts to bad comedy. They Chara Change without really meaning to. And there's no saying that goes along with it. (Like _Hop, Step, Jump_!)

Ami: That was...sort of embarrassing..

Cuxie: I hope it was what everyone expected. I'm not entirely sure if this is the pairing I want though...

Ami: I'd rather not talk about that....

Cuxie: Tough! That's ALL I'm gonna talk about! Ami loves Seo-san! Ami loves Seo-san!

Ami: Stop it! O.o

Cuxie: Teehee...R&R please! Let me know what you guys think about Seo-san!


	6. Kinda Useless

Cuxie: Kya! I've gotten such fabulous reviews!

Ami: Really?

Daisy: Shugoi!

Cuxie: Oooh, I just feel like I _have_ to update now. I don't want to keep anyone waiting any longer.

Amu: That never seemed to bother you before.

Cuxie: Silence! You're disrupting my creative process!

Amu: Just say it.

Cuxie: Well, maybe I don't _wanna_ say it now.~3~

Amu: Then I will. Ro--

Cuxie: --lling! That's _my_ job! =_=

* * *

"Daisy! Daisy, c'mon! We're going to be late!" I stared through my mirror, inspecting my room from the reflection, expecting my chara to pop up from any corner. Nothing. "Daisy?" A cold chill crept up my spine when I considered where she might be. I've already stressed how important it is for her to stay in my room at all times. I know most people aren't supposed to be able to see charas, but you can never be sure.

So far, she's been pretty good about staying in my room, if only so she can go through all my stuff. But I figured she'd get bored eventually; her curiosity would get the best of her and she'd go exploring around the rest of the house.

I sighed. _I really don't need this today._ I can't believe the Welcoming Ceremony is already here. Today's the day they announce my new position as the Ace's Chair in the Guardians, and I've barely had time to prepare for it. My head was all ready spinning and my stomach was in knots.

And now my chara's missing. Great.

Cracking my door open, I peeked out into the hall. It was empty. "Daisy?" I called quietly. "Daisy, please..." I crept out into the hall. "We have to leave soon. If you're playing, this is just--"

"Ami?"

I spun around, straightening up. "M-Mama!"

She peered at me skeptically. "Who are you talking to?"

"N-No one! I-I was just...looking for Onee-chan!"

She stared at me for a second longer, one eyebrow raised in what I had to assume was disbelief. I'm a terrible liar. "Alright then...She's in her room."

"O-Okay," I laughed nervously and stepped backwards towards my sister's room, not turning around until Mama had gone back downstairs. The door was slightly ajar and I could hear Onee-chan getting ready inside and...talking to someone?

_She's probably just on the phone or something..._I peeked my head inside, peering through the crack. A saw a blur of pink and black as Amu moved quickly around the room. She was mumbling something, her voice growing louder and then quieter. "...you guys put it...? It was right...Ah!" I heard the sound of something snapping and then Onee-chan cry, "Miki! I need another hairclip!"

Miki? Why does that name sound familiar? I can't place a face to it. Of all of Onee-chan's friends, there are the ones I've known forever, like Rima, Yaya, Nagihiko, friends Amu's had forever. And there are the other ones, who I don't know at all. Not even names. I'm sure she's mentioned them, but I've never had a reason to need to recall them.

"Suu? Where's Suu?" Another familiar-unfamiliar name. But the way she's talking...it doesn't sound like she's on the phone.

"I'm here, desu." That was definitely not Amu.

I pressed myself tighter against the wall, trying to see who could possibly be in my sister's room this early in the morning. Something green zipped past the door, trailing after Amu. It looked way too big to be a bug.

"Wah! Cute!"

Oh, gosh. I know that voice.

I threw open the door. "Daisy! What are you doing in here?!" Everyone froze. And by 'everyone' I mean more than just my sister and my chara. Onee-chan was in the middle of fixing her hair, her hands frozen on top of her head as she stared at me. _Floating_just above her head was a blue chara with a beret. She held a rhinestoned clip against Amu's hair. Two charas in various shades of green and yellow were pulling on the comforter, fixing Amu's bed. And, helping my own chara hold up a pretty blue heart pendant, was a pink chara.

All of which looked very familiar.

"Ah, Ami," Amu smiled at me. "Want me to fix your hair again?"

"I can't believe I forgot about Onee-chan's charas..." Walking just through the school gates, I let my mind wander, no longer concerned with being late. Daisy flew beside me, practically shaking with excitement about the ceremony. I would've been shaking too (with something else) if I hadn't been so preoccupied.

I tried desperately to recall something about my sister's charas, a fragment of some long lost memory or something. But I couldn't recall a thing. And yet they had still looked so familiar. According to Onee-chan, I used to play with them a lot. Then around the age of five I stopped being able to see them. She said it was like I'd forgotten they existed.

_'You were probably able to see them then because you were so young,'_ she said. _'Or, who knows, maybe it's because you were going to have one of your own one day.'_

I sighed, rubbing my temples. _So does that mean I was destined to have Daisy? Had Onee-chan seen this coming? No...she would've told me then, right?_

And to add on to everything, Onee-chan found out about my becoming a Guardian. I'd meant to keep it a secret; I didn't want her to think I was trying to follow in her footsteps or anything. That'd be pathetic. But Daisy just blurted it out... And I'm not even sure I'm going to stick to the Guardian thing.

"Ugh...This is too much to think about."

"What is?"

"Ah!" My heart jumped into my throat and I flinched. Seo-san stood beside me, holding his hands up innocently. "Y-You scared me," I said as though that weren't obvious.

"Sorry, sorry. I just wanted to catch you before you went to your class." He gave me a sheepish grin that, I found, made me look away. Daisy, however, was ecstatic to see Yuta again. Her behavior's a little..._embarrassing_sometimes. Tomo and Yuta are perfectly sweet and nice and they never seem to get in the way. So far, it seems like Daisy's the only chara who's always bouncing off the walls or out of control.

But then again, I still haven't met Inokuma-senpai's chara...

"Hinamori-san?" I blinked. Seo-san stared at me, worried. In my distraction, I'd stopped following him. His hand reached for me hesitantly, as if I he wasn't sure how I would respond to being touched. "Are you alright? You're awfully spacey."

I shook my head. "Fine." It took me a second to realize that we weren't going to my class. Students stopped and stared as we went, first admiring Seo-san, who did look amazing and regal in his Guardian cape. Then at me, who looked entirely too plain to be seen talking to him in public. I started to shrink in on myself, attempting to become less visible. My heart was in my throat again. "Seo-san," I whispered. "W-Where are we going?"

"The Royal Garden."

"Why?"

"To prep for the ceremony. It'll be in about thirty minutes. There's no point in going to class right now, and nobody's expecting us to anyway."

That was a relief. I didn't think I could handle being around any of my classmates right now. My stomach was already doing somersaults between my impending induction as a Guardian and being seen by everyone with Seo-san. I needed to get away for a little bit.

Unfortunately, the Royal Garden was clearly not the place to do this. When we entered my first thought was that it was just as beautiful as it was the last time I was there, all flowered archways and bubbling marble fountains. Inokuma-senpai sat at the center table wearing the same detached expression I remembered from yesterday. Pacing in a semi-circle around him, Yamabuki-san was talking loudly. But she quieted immediately once she saw us come in.

No one said anything as I followed Seo-san up the steps towards them and I was beginning to wonder if I was still welcome here. (Not that I would've been surprised if I wasn't.) Seo-san gestured for me to sit, so I took the seat opposite Inokuma-senpai, then he disappeared around the corner.

As soon as he left, Yamabuki-san ambushed me. "It's about time you got here! We've been waiting, haven't we Akio-sama?" He shrugged, his dark eyes boring into me.

I kept my gaze focused solidly on my lap, figuring that I could avoid making another dramatic exit if I didn't think about his presence too much. "I-I'm sor--"

Yamabuki-san kept going, "Akio-sama and I have been talking and we've decided that we need to get some things in order if before you go on stage." She'd lengthened her semi-circle to cover my side of the table as she paced. She struck up her index finger as she walked, her head held high. "First off, don't speak. It's unnecessary and it's not like anyone would be able to hear or understand you with the way you stutter anyway."

I winced. Not that she wasn't right, of course. But hearing it said out loud just made it that much more embarrassing. "I wasn't--"

"Another thing," she interrupted, talking rapidly. It was obvious I wasn't meant to give any opinions in this monologue since it was already set. "Try to hold you're head up when you walking on stage. And don't hunch your shoulders like you usually do. It's not lady-like.

"And, for the love of God, try not to look completely terrified when you get on-stage," she said, exasperated. "It's not much at all, but do you think you can handle it?"

"Yamabuki-san, would you back off a little?" Seo-san came back, thankfully, holding a silver tray with a very expensive looking tea set on it. He set it in the center of the table and then took a seat beside me, pouring tea into only one cup. "This helped calm you down yesterday, right? I figured you could use some."

"T-Thank you." I took the cup from him, sighing at the warmth as it spread through my hands. I turned to Yamabuki-san trying not to flinch under her unrelenting gaze. Clearly, all the events of yesterday had ticked her off more than I thought. She had clearly lost all patience with me at this point. "I'll try...I'll try not to mess up."

Yamabuki-san seemed mildly satisfied with this answer, but Seo-san gave me a sad look. "Hinamori-san...whatever they told you, just ignore it. You'll be fine."

"Seo-san!" The Queen shrieked. "Don't tell her to ignore us! You can't possibly believe she'll be fine without instructions. I mean, just look at her." She gestured at me with a sweep of her hand and my face heated up several degrees. I averted my eyes to my lap again as Seo-san and Yamabuki-san began to argue loudly. My chest felt tight, my shame completely crashing through me. My ears rang with the words I've been hearing for as long as I can remember..._"Plain...Weird...A loner...Ugly....Has no friends...__**Nothing like her sister**__."_

"Ami-chan..." I felt the slight weight of Daisy bouncing on my shoulder. Turning my head slightly, I looked at her. She smiled, nuzzling her head against my cheek. Her hair became wet as she did this and I realized I'd started to cry. "We'll be fine. I'll help if you want!"

I wiped at my eyes, shocked. I did a lot of embarrassing things in front of people, but crying wasn't usually one of them. (At least, it wasn't until yesterday.) "...Help?"

"She intends to Chara Change with you."

I jumped. Despite the calmness of Inokuma-senpai's voice, the idea of him talking to me still made me incredibly nervous. I made the mistake of looking at him. His expression was calm and calculated, as if he was completely deaf to the sound of the other Guardians shouting at each other. His dark chocolate brown eyes gazed at me with a steady intensity that turned my ears read. Most girls would've completely loved to hold his attention like that. But ever since I first saw him at the school assemblies or even in the hall, his eyes always gave me the feeling that he could read somebody's entire life story with just one glance.

It was a little unsettling. And yet for some reason I couldn't bring myself to look away. "C-Chara Change...?" Didn't Seo-san say something about that yesterday. Something about my character..._"It's like a brief change in character. You act a way you normally wouldn't."_ "Oh!" I turned to Daisy, appalled. "Oh, no! You can't do that!" There was absolutely no way I could let her take over me again. Not in front of the entire student body...!

Daisy pouted, her bottom lip quivering adorably. "Why not? It's fun!"

"It's embarrassing!" I buried my face in my hands. "Never do that again!"

It was quiet again and it took me a minute to realize that Yamabuki-san and Seo-san had stopped fighting. I peeked my eyes open just as Yamabuki-san slammed her hands on the table in front of me. "You won't do a Chara Change?! What good is that?!" I flinched.

Seo-san bristled. "Yamabuki-san--"

"I told you she wasn't fit for the job, Makoto," Inokuma-senpai interrupted, silencing both of them. He turned his attention back to me, his eyes narrowing slightly. "There's no use for a Guardian who won't Chara Change."

"Inokuma!" Seo-san looked completely furious, though I can't imagine why. Senpai's right. I don't know how to use Daisy and I don't want her using me. I'm useless to the Guardians. I'm useless, period.

Senpai stood up, having effectively made his point. "It's almost time for the ceremony." He left. Yamabuki-san followed close on his heels, avoiding eye contact with both me and Seo-san. After they left it was just the two of us; me, sitting, staring at my lap, and feeling immensely uncomfortable. And Seo-san, looking flustered and angry. His usually friendly bright blue eyes were tight and narrowed and his cheeks flamed. His hands clenched tight at his sides.

After a second of silence, I stood up, my legs shaking slightly. "...W-Well, I guess I'll get to class then."

His head snapped up. "What? You're not coming to the ceremony?"

I stared at him, unable to think of why he would still want me to. "You heard Inokuma-senpai. I'm not useful to the Guardians if I won't Chara Change with Daisy."

"Inokuma doesn't know everything," he growled. It was a bit frightening to see Seo-san this way. I was so used to the nice, good-natured boy everyone at school loved.

"Seo-san..." He grabbed my hand tightly. "S-Seo-san?"

He eyes went from angry to soft and pleading. "Hinamori-san, forget everything Inokuma just said. He won't admit it, but we're more desperate for an Ace Chair than you probably think. We need you to join the Guardians."

My heart started to pick up, beating erratically in my nervousness. Why did he have to put me on the spot like this? Wasn't it obvious enough that Inokuma-senpai didn't want me? Why would he? Exactly how desperate are they for an Ace Chair? I'm sure they can find someone much better. And it can't be anything that serious. "Seo-san, I don't think--"

"_Please_, Hinamori-san."

He was begging me. The nice, smart, perfect Makoto Seo-san was begging me to join the Guardians. The same boy who I'd helped me out yesterday. The one who took care of me when I fainted. The one who acted like I had no relation to Amu at all...

"O-Okay."

Before I could regret saying it, he grinned at me and I imagined my face turning a light, delicate pink instead of the fire engine red it probably was. "Great! You won't regret it!" Then he ran off, pulling me behind him, straight out of the Royal Garden and towards the auditorium. I stumbled to keep up with him, nearly falling flat on my face when he looked back at me and said, "By the way, you're not useless. At all."

* * *

Cuxie: Yay! Progression! It was tough, but I pushed my way through! And pretty soon there'll be some real action.

Ami: Uh, what do you mean by "action"?

Cuxie: You'll see. ;)

Daisy: R&R!!

Cuxie: And btw, **this story plot and idea are totally and completely mine. Plot thefts are NOT appreciated.**


	7. Still Willing

Cuxie: Hola! Salut! Konnichiwa!

Makoto: Hi.

Akio:...

Cuxie: Does anyone have ANY idea who these guys are? Do ya? If you can figure it out you get a cookie!

Ami: But it's obvious they're-

Cuxie: Shh! I'm trying to see if the reviewies are paying attention.

Akio: They better know who I am...

Cuxie: To be honest, even _I_forgot for a second. XD

Makoto: It doesn't matter to me.

Cuxie: That's adorable. (pinches cheeks) Cute little elementary school kiddies! Sometimes I forget how little you guys are.

Akio: I'm older than them.

Cuxie: Oh, of course you are! (pinches cheeks)

Akio: Hey!

Cuxie: Roll it! XD

* * *

"Wow! Look at all the people!"

"...D-Daisy...leave...the curtain...alone," I wheezed. She dropped the fabric while I fought to catch my breath. Oh Gosh, I'm hyperventilating...

"There's a lot of people out there," she said excitedly. "Do you know how many there are?"

"I'd rather not...think about it." I placed my hands over my eyes, groaning loudly. Yamabuki-san, Seo-san, and I stood just out of view of the crowd while we waited for Inokuma-senpai to give us the cue to come out on stage. I'd be announced last as the newest Guardian. Then Inokuma-senpai would state the Guardians' latest agenda and it would be over and done with. That's it. Case closed. _It's ok. Calm down. I can do it._ They were the same words I'd chanted in my head on the first day of school. I couldn't help but think of how wrong I'd been then.

My knees suddenly felt weak. I knelt down onto the floor. "I-I can't..." If I go out there everyone will see me as a Guardian from now on. I won't be able to fly under the radar anymore. No one will be able to look at me without thinking of my sister. Not after this. "I can't do it."

"Oh, for the love of-!" Yamabuki-san threw her hands up, trying to stifle an angry shout before someone heard her. "Tomo, go tell Akio-sama to pull the plug on this," she instructed. "I _knew_ she couldn't handle this. I _knew_."

Tomo gave me a concerned, possibly even disappointed glance, but turned towards the curtain to relay the message to Inokuma-senpai.

"Wait Tomo." Seo-san knelt beside me. "Hinamori-san, you've got to have a little confidence in yourself."

"B-But I-"

He held up his hand. "Listen to me. Inokuma says a lot of junk about being qualified and 'fit for the job', but none of it means anything."

"What Akio-sama says is true!" Yamabuki-san protested.

He went on, "Daisy is the only qualification you need." He placed a hand lightly on my shoulder. "I know we're asking a lot of you, but I believe you can do this, Hinamori-san. _You_ just have to believe that."

I didn't believe it. I honestly didn't. There were probably a thousand people more qualified. And I wasn't even entirely sure what I'd signed up for. But what I did know was that I didn't want to let Seo-san down. He's been so nice to me recently, and he only wanted me to do this one thing. True, I really don't understand why they need an Ace so bad, or why this is so important to Seo-san. But I know that it is. And after all he's done I just can't stand to disappoint him.

"...Okay."

He smiled and helped me stand up.

Yamabuki-san clearly didn't have as much confidence in me, judging by the way she was muttering to herself. But Tomo, Daisy, and Yuta smiled reassuringly. "You'll be fine," Tomo insisted.

"Come here," Yamabuki-san told her. "It's almost our cue." She stood by the curtain, smoothing her hair down into place. Then she straightened up and threw back her shoulders; the picture of confidence.

"_And now_," Inokuma-senpai's voice boomed through the microphone, "_here is our returning Queen Chair, Kamiko Yamabuki-san._"

Seo-san and I watched as Yamabuki-san marched out onto the stage, her cape swishing around her shoulders. She took her place at Inokuma-senpai's right side, her head held high and proud. _I wish I could be that confident. _I looked down at my trembling hands, then at Seo-san. _I have to...I have to._

"You'll be fine," Seo-san said, sparing me a quick smile. I had a feeling it was forced, but the effort was appreciated. He went out onto the stage, walking steadily and surely. I hadn't even heard Inokuma-senpai call him.

"We're next! We're next!" Daisy shrieked giddily.

"Daisy, _please_!" I cried, desperately enough for her to stop and look at least a little serious. "I'm really nervous and all your jumping around doesn't help-"

Senpai's voice interrupted me. "_And now, I'd like to introduce our newest member_..."

My heartbeat spiked and my voice rushed on, "So please calm down a little and please, _please_, don't do anything weird to me-"

"_The newest Guardian, our Ace Chair_-"

"Be good, Daisy."

"_Ami Hinamori-san."_

I stood just out of view, behind the curtain. My feet locked into place, as if they had rooted themselves to the ground upon realizing the situation. _I'm not going to make it...I'm going to run away again. I'm going to let Seo-san down. I'm going to be a laughing-stock. _I barely felt Daisy settle on my shoulder. She whispered something in my ear and...I could move again.

Deep, deep inside I felt the popping sensation. It was faint, but it made me feel...tingly. My feet carried me towards Inokuma-senpai. I felt hundreds of eyes watching me and, to my own shock, turned _to smile and wave at the crowd! _I stopped in front of Inokuma-senpai, feeling my lips stretch into a smile. Behind him, Seo-san look absolutely relieved, and Yamabuki-san was just plain shocked. I'm sure my expression would've matched hers if I wasn't feeling so oddly nice.

My eyes returned to Inokuma-senpai's. He was...smiling. As he reached around my neck to fasten my cape, he whispered, "You're doing great." His eyes, normally a deep, hard brown, were warm and welcoming like melted chocolate. I felt a new tingling sensation in my chest.

Beside him, a chara floated. A smiling, black-haired chara with calm, silver-grey eyes. His eyes held the same look as Senpai's.

Before I could respond, Senpai backed away and was facing the crowd again. I turned and did the same. I let my eyes pass over all the faces of my classmates. Standing up in front of them, the spotlight on me again, I felt myself reverting back to my original nervous state. The lights overhead were bright and hot. Was I sweating? They were all watching. Wasn't it over yet? How long did we have to stand up here? My vision started to swim.

"And in conclusion," Senpai continued beside me, "we will continue to promote the well-being and pursuits of all the students here at Seiyo Elementary School." He stepped back from the podium as everyone applauded. The sound was sudden and startled me. I felt someone grab my arm and realized we were leaving the stage.

"I-Is it over?" I asked in a voice so small I thought it might be in my head.

The hand on my arm squeezed tighter. "You were _great_!" I blinked. We were outside in the corridor. Seo-san was standing in front of me, grinning widely. "I told you you'd be fine!"

"You looked a bit nervous towards the end though," Yamabuki-san added. "Pale."

"You did absolutely perfect," Seo-san went on.

It was over. I did it. "I did it...I did it," I breathed, amazed. I felt a smile stretch across my lips. I looked from Seo-san, to Yamabuki-san...and then Inokuma-senpai. The look on his face hit hard. I don't know what I was expecting, but his eyes were cold and hard again; his face blank. Impassive.

"Yeah. You managed not to screw up. Way to go."

Ice. That's what it felt like. I felt cold all over. Inokuma-senpai turned away from us, heading towards the left wing of the school.

I felt Seo-san's hand on my shoulder, trying to grab my attention. "Ignore him. He's always extra moody after ceremonies and stuff."

"But I...he..." _He seemed so nice just a minute ago..._ Maybe I had hallucinated. Maybe he hadn't smiled at me. Maybe he hadn't said I was doing great. Maybe he'd been ignoring me the whole time.

Seo-san was still talking beside me. "He says a lot of stuff about needing to Chara Change, but he doesn't like to do it much either."

"Chara..." The black-haired one... "I saw his chara. I saw Inokuma-senpai's chara."

"Oh, you saw Hiro?" His eyebrows rose again. "Yeah, despite being a pain, Inokuma's got a nice chara. Hiro's always super polite and generous. That's why he does the Chara Change with him before ceremonies."

"Would you stop bad-mouthing Akio-sama?" Yamabuki-san asked, irritated. "If he could hear you-"

"He wouldn't care anymore than he does when I say it to his face."

_Super polite and generous? _I frowned, tuning out their bickering. So Inokuma-senpai Chara Changes for all the ceremonies... _Is that why he was nice to me?_ He must not have meant it. If he was Chara Changed he couldn't have meant it.

"Are you okay?" Seo-san placed a hand lightly on my shoulder. "You look upset."

I blinked. He and Yamabuki-san were staring at me. Yamabuki-san was glaring at me, her forest green eyes darkening. She flipped her hair impatiently. "I don't have time for this!" She spun on her heel, taking off in the direction Senpai had gone in.

"Ugh," Seo-san sighed. "Those two are just so..." He shook his head. The look on his face was a tired one. Like he was used to stuff like this going on, but it was hard to deal with all the same. Then he turned to me, trying to smile again. "Sorry. I know this must be pretty stressful on you."

"Eh? N-No, it's okay. I'm fine." I wrung my hands together, feeling nervous all of a sudden. It's official now. Everyone at school knows I'm a Guardian. I'm following in my sister's footsteps. Kinda. I fingered the cape. It was soft and felt warm on my shoulders. The hem brushed against my back as I moved.

"It looks good on you."

"Eh?" I released the cape, folding my hands behind my back. I felt my face flame up and looked away from him. "T-Thank you."

Daisy circled me excitedly, having kept quiet for longer than I thought possible. "Ami-chan is so cute!"

Yeah, right.

"C'mon. There's some more stuff I need to tell you." He started to walk off in the opposite direction Yamabuki-san and Inokuma-senpai had gone in.

"M-More?" He explained charas and Chara Changing...what's left? Or rather, what _else_ could Daisy possibly do to me? My eyes widened at the prospect.

I followed behind him quietly. We were heading in the direction of the Royal Garden. Seo-san was being unusually quiet. Normally, he make small talk or just gives me small tidbits of information about him, charas, the Guardians...But he seemed slightly more...serious today. His shoulders were set tensely. I could tell that whatever he wanted to tell me couldn't possibly be good news.

We entered the Royal Garden. It was empty. I'm not sure why, but I had thought maybe the other Guardians would come back here as well. "Should we wait for Inokuma-senpai and Yamabuki-san?"

He shook his head. "It's probably better that they're not here." He went off to fetch the tea set.

The tension between all of them still amazed me. Suddenly, it occurred to me. _They're not friends. _It seemed absurd, yet obvious at the same time. They argue constantly. They never seem to agree on anything. They don't seem to want to be around each other.

The Guardians aren't friends.

The thought made me uneasy. As Seo-san sat across from me, I suddenly felt guilty for thinking that. Even if it's probably true, I felt ashamed for knowing it. Like I'd gotten my hands on some personal tidbit about him and the other Guardians.

He pushed a tea cup towards me along with a small plate of fancy-looking truffles. "Help yourself."

Tentatively, I took a small one and sipped my tea. Daisy dug in readily, smothering herself in chocolate. Seo-san's chara watched her, chuckling. "You're getting chocolate in your hair."

A somewhat uncomfortable silence passed. Normally not one to speak first, I cleared my throat hesitantly. "So, um, w-what did you want to tell me?"

He looked up, almost shyly. "I...I didn't really tell you everything I should have the other day." He ran a hand through his blonde hair, sighing. I waited patiently, bracing myself for whatever else I could possibly need to know. When he looked up at me his eyes were serious and I suddenly felt a little scared. "I told you that one of the qualifications for being a Guardian is to have a Guardian Character." I nodded. "Well, there's a reason for that.

"Regardless of whether or not someone has a Guardian Character, all kids have a heart's egg. The egg represents a dream, and most of them remain in the child's heart instead of becoming a chara." He paused, maybe to make sure I was able to keep up, or maybe because he needed to collect himself first.

"When a child gives up on their dream or loses faith in themselves...they sometimes lose their egg. Sometimes it breaks, but more often it turns into what we call an X-egg. X-eggs have lots of negative energy and if they're not captured they'll cause trouble for their bearer and others as well. A Guardians job, typically, is to capture X-eggs."

I immediately thought of my first time in the Royal Guardian. It was right after I saw Seo-san in that weird baseball uniform. "Is that what you were chasing that day. An...X-egg?"

He nodded solemnly. I wasn't used to such a serious Seo-san. "X-eggs aren't all that common. We usually only come across a two or three a week. But catching them is difficult sometimes. Lately, there haven't been many X-eggs, but...something _else _has been happening that we're, well, _I'm_ concerned about."

"Something else?"

He sighed. "As the school's representatives, we do meet with other district elementary schools. Occasionally we take trips and meet with their class presidents and student councils and stuff. We-I'm concerned about the other schools. During visits we've found that a large majority of students are missing their hearts' eggs."

I gasped. Even though I knew it was probably much more serious than I would understand at the moment, the thought of so many kids without dreams sounded..._awful_. "How can you tell when someone doesn't have a heart's egg?"

"It's something our charas can sense," he said, nodding towards Yuta. "Although sometimes you can tell just by the look on their face.

"I know I put a lot of pressure on you to join the Guardians, but it's because I think what's going on is a lot bigger than we're seeing. I think whatever's happening to the kids at the other schools will happen to Seiyo soon if we don't do something. Inokuma doesn't want to look at it that way, but we need to be prepared. And I don't think we could have afforded to have an empty chair this year. Especially since you showed up."

My stomach knotted. "What do you want me to do?"

He shook his head. "Nothing yet. I just want to know you'll help me. Inokuma and Yamabuki-san aren't taking this seriously. And I don't think I can handle it by myself. I want to find out what's happening to all the students in the other schools, and I want to stop it before it happens here."

This floored me a bit. After all, he's talking about helping people he doesn't know and possibly taking on _something_ that he might not be able to handle. I didn't think a Guardian's duties went beyond the welfare of our own school. But something told me this went beyond being a Guardian for him.

I stared at him. His blue eyes were wide and pleading. It took me a moment to realize he was waiting for me to say something.

And here I thought my only job was watering the plants.

But...I still didn't want to let Seo-san down. _He trusts me_, I realized. To ask me to join the Guardians, to help him with something so important when he barely knows me...It feels really good.

"...Okay. I'll help you."

* * *

Cuxie: Good lord, this took forever!

Makoto: The Guardians don't really sound like a fun group of people.

Cuxie: I know. Part of my Grand Master Plan, or GMP for short. ;) Haha! I sound like Yasushi!

Makoto: Who?

Cuxie: Never you mind. It's been a lot of work getting this posted. Recently, I've been swamped with homework AND I sprained my ankle. So...yeah. Cut me a little slack, if you would. ^^

Makoto: R&R please!


	8. Slightly Social

Cuxie: I have returned from Beyond the Beyond~! Ooooo~!

Amu: By that she means beyond the depths of her own laziness.

Cuxie: Ooh, aren't we feeling snarky today? I'll have you know that I haven't been to school in several days because I'm so deathly ill, but I was feeling well and gracious enough to bring another chapter into the world. =P

Amu: Lucky us.

Cuxie: I don't have time to waste like this. I'm feeling weak...I don't know how much I can type...X_x

Amu: Melodramatic.

Cuxie: R-Rolling...slowly...

* * *

Waking up earlier than usual, I dressed in a jean skirt, knee-length white socks, and a pink long-sleeved shirt. Amu was having friends over, so I wanted to be out of the house and out of the way. It's not that I don't like her friends, but the idea of being in a house full of former Guardians made me nervous. And I didn't want to seem like a pathetic tag-along. When I was little, I used to follow Amu and her friends around whenever I could, but as I got older I started to realize that I was just getting in their way and I was too childish to hang out with a bunch of high schoolers.

I put my hair into my usual pigtails. My plan was to go window shopping for an hour or two. My sister would probably be out of the house by then; she always has so many places to go.

"C'mon Daisy. " I grabbed a little pink purse on my way out the door. I didn't really plan on buying anything, but I might stop by a café or something.

"Where are we going?" she asked brightly.

"Anywhere."

It was bright and warm outside and it suddenly seemed like window shopping was the perfect way to spend the day, even if I was just trying to hide from my sister.

"There are so many people!" Daisy exclaimed. She was settled into my purse, taking in the sights around her in awe. Crowds seemed to excite her for some reason, and there were plenty of people out today. We walked several blocks without stopping. I rarely ever do any actual shopping. I know I'm a little old to still let my mom do all my shopping for me. But I'm no good when it comes to fashion. I don't have my own style.

"Are we doing Guardian work?" Daisy asked suddenly.

"Eh? No, not today." I couldn't imagine what there could be to do on a Saturday. "Why do you ask?"

"Seo-san said there was big trouble the other day. We should be looking for clues!"

"Clues?"

"Yeah! Like detectives! Ooh, or superheroes!"

I sighed, perfectly content to let Daisy's imagination run wild. I'm sure there's plenty that we could be doing as Guardians, actually. But I really don't know exactly what. I'm so new to this, I've never even seen an X-egg up close.

But thinking about them brought Seo-san to mind. I wondered if he was doing any Guardian work today. He told me he would help show me the ropes a little on Monday. That suddenly seemed like a very long time from now.

"Oof!"

Distracted, I slammed into someone. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" I cried. It was a girl, about my age but slightly taller. She rubbed her head slightly, grimacing.

"It's...alright." She leaned over to pick up a book and stuff it into a large brown shoulder bag. When she stood back up, she smiled at me. "I shouldn't have been standing in the middle of the sidewalk like that. I knew I was getting in everyone's way." Her eyes were the color of sunset, and she had curly blonde hair held back with a sparkly blue clip to match her blue jumper-dress. She wore white boots with a slight heel, which is probably why she seemed so tall.

At her foot was a pink feather pen. I bent to pick it up and handed it back to her.

"Oh, thanks! That's my favorite pen." She smiled again. "I'm Lanna Terakan, by the way."

"I-I'm Ami," I muttered, suddenly nervous as I realized I was talking to a stranger. _But she seems nice._ "I'm sorry I ran into you."

"It's alright. I wasn't paying attention."

Neither was I. "Um, did you say you were just standing here?"

She nodded. "Actually..." She turned around, facing the window of the shop in front of us. "I was drawing that dress." It was a pretty white dress with a pleated skirt and a criss-crossing pattern of pink ribbon at the bodice. The sleeves were three-quarter length little pink bows at the cuffs.

"It's so cute!" I heard myself say, barely acknowledging the popping in my stomach.

"Isn't it?" Terakan-san said, just as enthusiastically. She turned back and seemed to study me this time. "Oh! I bet it'd look great on you!"

"Huh?"

"Will you try it on for me?"

"Eh?"

"Please! I need inspiration!"

Grabbing my hand, she pulled me towards the door. A small bell tinkled above our heads as she thrust it open and pushed me inside. "Hello!" she called brightly to the first sales-person she saw. "Ami-chan here would like to try on that dress in the window."

"Certainly," the woman answered swiftly, going off to find it.

"W-Wait, Terakan-san, why do I have to try it on?" I asked quickly, trying to pry my hand out of hers.

"Well, I _was_ going to just draw the dress itself, but it'd be so much cuter with you in it! And I need inspiration! Pretty please?" she asked sweetly. Her sudden shift from normal and polite to crazy-excited was scaring me.

"I-I don't really think-"

"Here you are." The saleswoman returned just then with the dress. "I forgot to ask for your size, but you look pretty petite, so I'm sure this'll be fine. The dressing rooms are right over here." She and Terakan-san ushered be towards a small corner of the store that had three stalls for changing. None of them were occupied. In fact, the entire shop seemed pretty empty. And it was pretty small on the inside; smaller than I thought it'd be, anyway.

"Hurry, hurry~" the blonde girl sang, pushing me into the nearest one. I stumbled inside, locking the door quickly behind me.

For a moment, I just stood there, staring at the tall mirror screwed into the wall on my right. The stall was narrow with a little triangle of a platform in the corner. I placed my purse there and Daisy tumbled out, giggling. "She seems like fun!"

"How did I get here?" I sighed, then quickly hushed myself in case Terakan-san could hear me.

"Are you done yet?" she called from just outside the door.

"N-Not yet..." Defeated, I started to take off my clothes. I could hear Terakan-san humming outside, and shortly after Daisy started to hum along to her.

The dress really was pretty. After I put it on I couldn't help liking the way the hem brushed against my knees, or how soft the fabric was, or how the satin pink ribbon laced into it blended nicely with the bows in my hair. I wasn't sure what Terakan-san was expecting though, so I had a few butterflies as I stepped out of the dressing room.

But my fears were quickly squashed. "Ooh, I _knew_ it would look great on you," she gushed. Pulling the book back out of her bag, she studied me intensely before starting to draw.

"W-Wait Terakan-san-"

"Call me Lanna."

"...Uh, Lanna-chan then. Is it going to take you a long time to draw this? Because I don't think I can just stand here in this dress without buying it..." Truth be told, the saleswoman was staring at me expectantly, attempting to catch my eye so she could ask to ring me up.

"Oh." Lanna-chan deflated suddenly. "I guess you're right...I don't think I could draw that fast." She suddenly looked so disappointed that I wanted to buy the dress. I wasn't as if I didn't like it anyway. But doing that meant that I definitely wouldn't have enough money for lunch at a café today. My allowance isn't anything spectacular.

Lanna started to put her things away. I suddenly felt like I was letting her down. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to get the dress after all...

"What do you think, Daisy?" I asked quietly.

"Ami-chan's a princess~" Daisy twirled in her own flouncy little dress. "We're going to a ball~!

I couldn't really leave the dress after that.

"I'm so glad you bought the dress," Lanna-chan said again. After leaving the store, with significantly less money than I had going in, I sat on a bench near the fountain at the center of the shopping district. I had the dress on and I'd put my other clothes in a bag from the shop.

"I've never had anyone draw me before..." I was trying to pretend I was just taking a short break and not being someone's art subject. "What is this for anyway? You said before that you needed inspiration."

She smiled slightly. "I guess I didn't tell you." She put her pen down for a minute and came to sit beside me. "I'm going to be a fashion designer when I grow up."

"Really?" That sounded so..._glamorous._ "Wow."

"I like to practice by making my own clothes and stuff." She swept her hands over her dress and I gasped as I realized what she was saying.

"You made _that_?" I looked more closely at her blue jumper-dress, trying to find something that would distinguish it as hand-made, but I couldn't. Every seam was perfectly straight, the two blue buttons on her shoulders were perfectly symmetrical. It looked so professional. "That's amazing!"

She blushed slightly. "Thanks. But lately I haven't been able to come up with any good designs. That's why I came out today. Sometimes I like to draw the mannequins in shop windows. But it's even more inspiring to draw real people in cute clothes," she added. "Thanks Ami-chan. And hey, since I sorta pushed you to buy the dress, how about I buy I us icecream? Or better yet, parfaits!"

My eyes lit up at the mention of sweets, and it suddenly struck me how nice it is to spend a Saturday with someone else instead of just sitting in my room or walking around by myself. Even if that other person is a little...excitable. _Maybe we can be friends..._ The thought sent a happy little buzz through me and I smiled. "Sure. Let's go!"

Since Lanna-chan was buying, she chose the café. We came to a Lolita-themed place that I've been to numerous times. Onee-chan works here during the summer. She loves it because all the waitresses don't wear official uniforms, but different styles of Lolita clothing. And my sister does Punk Lolita really well.

"Can I take your orders?" Our waitress was dressed in Sailor Lolita style.

"I want a triple chocolate mousse parfait. Ami-chan?"

"Um..."

"Ami-chan?" The waitress repeated my name slowly, testing it. She was much older than us, with dark blue hair and wide brown eyes. I couldn't place her name, but I immediately figured out how she knew me. She was probably one of the girls Onee-chan works with during the summer. Most of the summer staff knows me, since Onee-chan scores me free sweets when I stop by during the summer. But some of the girls work year-round. She must be one of them. " I didn't even recognize you! Nice to see you again, kiddo. How's-"

"Um, I don't feel well all of a sudden!" I exclaimed suddenly, saying the first thing that came to mind before the girl could reveal who my sister was in front of my new friend. "C-Can I have some water please?"

"Oh, of course, sweetie. I'll be right back," she said, taking off quickly.

I sighed, then realized Lanna-chan was staring at me. "Are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

"I-I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Here you go." A glass of water was placed in front of me. "Do you need anything else? The bathroom's over that way if you're feeling really sick."

"Um, n-no. I'm not, I mean, it'll pass. I just felt sort of...dizzy," I said hurriedly. I didn't like lying to this girl, Kimi, according to her name tag. She seemed nice and she was Amu's friend.

"Maybe you're just hungry. Can I get you anything to eat?"

"Um, a strawberry parfait please."

"Sure thing."

"So do you know her?" Lanna-chan asked suddenly. "The waitress, I mean."

"Sort of...my, uh, my sister works here in the summer," I admitted reluctantly. I quickly changed the subject. "Can I see what you drew?"

"Sure!" Reaching into her brown bag, she brought the sketchbook back out and flipped to the page from today. "It'll look perfect when I color it."

The sketch was fairly rough, but really good. The back ground had been omitted and it was just me, my face turned slighty towards something in the distance. The dress was more defined; lined darker and more detailed. It was one of the nicest drawings I'd ever seen. "You're really good," I said in a hushed tone.

"Thanks. So what grade are you in?"

"Fourth."

"I _knew _we were the same age!" She grinned at me. "What school?"

"Seiyoh Elementary."

"Aw, I go to Geshoku. I was wondering why you didn't look familiar. " We both seemed slightly disappointed. Kimi-san brought out our parfaits, which brightened the mood considerably. And after I thought about it, I was a little bit glad that Lanna-chan didn't go to Seiyoh. If she did it would only be a matter of time before she found out about my sister. Although that might happen anyway. It seems like I can't get away from Onee-chan no matter what I do. But is it even possible to hide who my sister is from my new friend? Maybe if Amu wasn't so well-known... "What's wrong? Don't you like your parfait?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! It's great!" I tried to smile and scooped up a spoonful of yogurt and a big strawberry. _I'm over-thinking this so much I'm not enjoying myself..._I decided to keep Amu out of the conversation and my mind as well. "So do you really make all of your clothes?"

"Well, not all of them. But I do wear everything I make." She told me about some of her newest stuff, and older things she'd made that weren't so great. To be honest, I was a little jealous. It must be nice to have a dream like that. Lanna-chan already knew what she wanted to be and was well on her way to achieving her dream. I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do when I got older, and I didn't have any talents I could think of. "What about you?"

"Eh? Me?"

"Yeah. What do you like to do?" She leaned forward, smiling patiently.

"Um..." I tried to think of something that sounded the least bit interesting, but the more I thought about it, the less that came to mind. I don't have any talents, I'm not in any clubs (other than the Guardians, I guess)...I remember really liking to sing when I was little and used to mimic Utau in front of the TV. "Well, I like music, I guess. Utau Hoshina's my idol."

"Oh, I love Utau-chan! I can't wait for the new _Radiance_ album!" she said excitedly.

Daisy, who had been discreetly plucking small strawberries from the top of my parfait, grabbed my thumb suddenly. "Ami-chan," she cried urgently. "There's trouble!"

"What?"

"I said we should go to the CD signing together. Utau-chan's going to be in the music store across town singing autographs! It'll be great!" Lanna-chan prattled on, too enthusiastic to notice that I was barely paying attention.

Daisy went on, "I can sense something! It's something bad!" She flitted around my head frantically, and for a moment I thought she might take off somewhere without me. "We have to go! We have to do something!"

"Do you have a cell phone? Ami-chan?" Lanna-chan asked.

"Huh? Oh, right. Here." I handed her my cell phone. Then I focused back on Daisy, trying to make sense of what she was saying. "What are you talking about?" I whispered. "We have to do what?"

"Euh...euh..." She flew around me restlessly. "Please! Let's go! Let's go!" She grabbed my sleeve and started pulling. Whatever was going on, her reaction to it was making me uneasy. I was halfway out of my seat when I remembered Lanna-chan. What was I supposed to say to her? I turned back. She was holding my cell phone out towards me as I stood in front of my half-eaten parfait, a curious look on her face.

"Where are you going?"

"I, uh, I have to go home. M-My mom wanted my home early today," I lied.

"Oh, okay then. Well, I put my number in there. You can call me later." I was halfway out the door as she said this.

Daisy was several paces ahead of me. I had to push past several people to keep up with her. Every few feet she would stop suddenly, shake her head, and then change directions. "Do you even know where you're going?" I asked, getting irritated. It's just my luck that the minute I start to make friends with someone, Daisy has to ruin it. I never met anyone nice like Lanna-chan before Daisy showed up, but of course the minute she does I make a new friend and have to rush off early. "This better be good, Daisy!" As I skitted around another person, she came to a halt. Her eyes were wide and scared-looking. I stumbled slightly before coming to a stop right behind her. "What now?"

"It's changing directions...It's coming this way!"

"Huh?"

"It's close! Duck!"

"Wha-!" Something slammed against my forehead, sending me reeling back onto the sidewalk. "Ugh...ow." Several people turned to stare at me and I heard Daisy's voice somewhere. It sounded far-off... "What on Earth was that?"

"The X-egg, Ami-chan! We have to catch it!"

"X-egg?"

* * *

Cuxie: Adorable! Ami's making friends!

Amu: Finally you're doing something good for my sister.

Cuxie: I know this seems like just a filler chapter, but I promise Lanna isn't just a one-time character.

Lanna: Yay! I'll be back.^^

Cuxie: And so will I! Soon! _If_ you guys R&R, that is! ;)


	9. Suddenly Noticeable

Cuxie: I'm back once more! And I made you all brownies!

Ami: Really?

Cuxie: No, not really. But I am back!^-^

Ami: That's...nice.

Cuxie: =_= What's that supposed to mean?

Ami: W-What? I said that's nice!

Cuxie: NO! You said, 'that's...nice,' like it's not really nice!

Ami: I-I didn't mean anything by it-

Cuxie: Do you not want me here or something? Do you wanna write your own story?

Ami: No! I'm sorry! I wasn't-

Cuxie: It's too late! ...You've hurt my feelings. (TT^TT)

Ami: I-I'm sorry! Oh, man...

Cuxie: I'm just gonna forget about the chapter and go read a book...

Akio: (grabs Cuxie by the ear)

Cuxie: Owwie!

Akio: You were saying?

Cuxie: R-Rolling... ~_~

* * *

"Daisy, please slow down!" I raced down crowded streets, dodging people and trying to keep my chara in sight. She didn't appear to have heard me. "D-Daisy," I cried weakly. My head still hurt from the collision with that X-egg, and I was winded. We'd barely reached the bridge when I decided I couldn't go on any further. I slumped against the brick frame, gasping for breath.

"Ami-chan?" Daisy finally turned to me, flapping her arms around impatiently. "Hurry uuup! We have to catch it!"

"D-Daisy...I can't..." I sank to my knees, thankful no one was around to see me like this.

"But we're so close!"

Looking up, I could see the egg a short distance ahead, a black dot whirling around in the air. It was flying around like a loose cannon; bumping into trees and zigzagging all over the place. I got dizzy just looking at it.

"C'mon Ami-chan! Chara Change!"

"Wha?"

I felt a large bubble pop in my chest. Peering over the edge of the bridge, looking at my reflection in the water, I saw that two large daisies had replaced the ribbons in my hair. I suddenly felt very energetic.

"Here it comes, Ami-chan!" Daisy cried. The egg was whizzing towards me again, but this time I was ready. I ducked as it flew past me, then spun around and held my hand up.

"FREEZE!"

To my surprise, it actually did stop. It turned around, the white 'X' mark facing me, and started screeching in a whiny, high-pitched voice. I couldn't understand what it was saying, and I wasn't entirely sure how to catch it, so my plan was already falling short. When it saw that I wasn't attacking, it let a resonating scream.

I covered my ears, wincing as the vibrations hit. "What now, Daisy?" I had to yell to be heard over the sound. Daisy clung tightly to my arm.

"Fight back, Ami-chan!"

"With what?" But even as I said the words, felt my weapons materialize in my hands. In each palm I was holding sharp-edged, flower-shaped disk. "What are these?"

"Throw them!"

I did as she said, tossing both disk towards the egg. My aim was way off and I didn't come anywhere close to hitting it, but the action seemed to startled it. It went into a frenzy, shaking and whirling around in a directionless manner. I threw more disk, but none of them hit. It was moving too fast and erratically for me to get a good aim. And it didn't seem to be doing it on purpose. It was almost like...it was confused or something.

"Ami-chan!"

"Eh?" It came at me, tumbling and spinning, and I ducked. I tried my disks one more time. This one hit, sending the egg reeling to the side. It spun frantically, then slowed down until finally...

It dropped into the river.

"WAH!" Daisy and I flung ourselves at the bridge edge, looking on as the little egg bobbed up and down on the water as it was carried away by the current. "Wha...What do we do now?" My chara asked helplessly. I didn't have an answer. I stared at the water until I couldn't see the X-egg anymore. All I knew at that point was that I wasn't very good at this Guardian thing.

The rest of my weekend was a nightmare. Between worrying about what would happen to the X-egg and how I was going to tell Seo-san (_if _I was going to tell Seo-san), I was a mess of nerves.

Daisy got over it pretty quickly. "Yay! I get to see Tomo today!" I watched her water the _Fushigi Hana_. The little pink polka-dotted flower pot sat on my window seal. So far, there wasn't a single shoot of green, but I watered it just as the instructions directed. I hoped it would grow soon.

Returning my attention to getting ready, I fastened my cape around my shoulders. I couldn't help but feel giddy and nervous. People still stopped and stared at me in the hallways, and my sister's name came up everywhere I went. But no one hassled me much either. My new-found Guardian status made people keep their distance.

When I got to school I resolved to avoid Seo-san for as long as possible. I didn't think I could look him in the face without blurting out what happened. But I didn't want him to be disappointed in me. Especially after all the trouble he went through to convince Yamabuki-san and Inokuma-senpai that I was cut out for the job.

On my way to class, I tried not to collapse under the weight of all the stares. I passed a group of girls who immdiately quieted down in a way that made me sure they'd been talking about me. I practiced tuning people out, instead focusing on inanimate objects rather than faces. I was nearly to class when the blue-haired boy from the first day sidled up to me. "So you're a Guardian now, huh?"

"Uh, yes?" It sounded questionable even to me.

"Did your sister pull some strings or somethin'?" He asked unabashedly. "I heard she had some special position when she went here. Jokster or somethin'. Why didn't she get you that job?"

I averted my eyes. "M-My sister didn't have anything to do with it."

"Uh-huh," he said, like he didn't believe me. "So why'd they choose you? Do you know any Guardian secrets or something? I bet you're sister told you everythin' that goes on in the Royal Garden, so they had to make you a member so you'd keep all their secrets." He grinned like he'd just solved some big mystery. "Am I right? Do you have any dirt on them?"

"Nmm..." My face burned shamefully. Was that the latest rumor going around? That I'd practically blackmailed the Guardians into making me a member. "...I-I-"

"Hinamori-san!"

Seo-san was waving at me from down the hall. He seemed oblivious to the fact that this caused everyone between us to fall silent and stare. I froze, shell-shocked. Beside me, my classmate looked on with obvious interest. "Is he your boyfriend now?"

My face flamed violently. My instincts were screaming _flight_; I took off running in the other direction. From inside my bag, I heard Daisy's muffled cries as her egg was jostled around, wondering at my sudden change in pace. I kept running, heading to the pagoda in the garden. Common sense said I would be late for class and might face detention. But my mortification outruled all else. I couldn't help but wonder what the story would be tomorrow. Probably something like: New Guardian Embarrasses Herself and Everyone Around Her.

As soon as I reached the garden I wanted to turn back. Sensei would be mad if I was late, and Seo-san probably thinks I'm a weirdo now...

"Bwah!" Daisy exploded out of the front pocket of my bag, heaving. "Wah~what's going on?"

"I messed up again," I mumbled sullenly.

She regarded me for a moment, he large pink eyes unblinking. Then she said, "Well, lets go fix it."

"...W-What?"

"Let's go fix it! We'll make it better, whatever it is."

"D-Daisy..."

"Gombare, Ami-chan! DASH!"

"Dash!" I shouted along with her. I was getting so used to the feeling of Chara Changing that this one barely even registered with me. I hurried back to class.

By the time lunch rolled around, I'd nearly forgotten about this morning's indiscretion. It had been too late to find Seo-san before first period. But I did manage to avoid running off again when I saw the blue-haired boy again, thanks to Daisy. I kept to myself, as always, while I ate. Instead of eating in the classroom like most of my classmates, I went to the cafeteria even though I had my own bento and didn't need to buy anything. Students usually only passed through to grab something quickly. Most of the small round tables, like the one I was sitting at, went unused. I liked it because it was quiet and secluded and no one ever bothered me there.

Or no one used to, anyway.

A few bites into my bento, I saw several girls enter the cafeteria. Instinctively, I ducked my head, hoping I wouldn't be noticed. But one of them pointed in my direction and they all came rushing over. "AMI-CHAN!" I winced.

"Ami-chan! Ami-chan!"

"Hi, Ami-chan," one girl said at a much lower decibal. "We've been looking all over for you." She smiled widely at me. She was tall with big brown eyes. She had long hair pulled back into two braids, and shiny silver clips held her bangs away from her face. I knew I'd seen her in the halls before, but I couldn't remember sharing any classes with her.

"H-Hi, um..."

"You can call me Sanada," she said sweetly.

"Okay...Sanada-san. Uh, why were you looking for _me_?"

She laughed like I'd said something funny. "To talk, silly! And to congratulate you on getting the Ace Chair." The three girls behind her nodded adamantly. They all looked relatively similar, with short hair and colorful hair clips.

I fidgeted in my seat. "Um...thank you?"

"Of course! Do you like the position? The cape looks really good on you."

Before I could respond, another girl chimed in. "We saw Seo-sama wave at you today. Are you guys good friends now?"

"What's Inokuma-sama like in person? I bet he's nice."

"Do you guys hang out together a lot?"

Their closeness had me feeling claustrophobic. They were all firing off questions faster than I could answer them. Sanada-san sat down at my table and the rest of the girls followed suit, squeezing themselves around the small table. I cringed away from all the voices. From my shirt pocket, Daisy examined them all with subtle curiousity. I didn't know who to look at, so I stared down at my now-cold rice. "Nagai-san," a new, quieter voice spoke up. Her full name must be Sanada Nagai

"What?" Sanada-san answered impatiently. "Can't you see I'm talking to Ami-chan?"

The girl cleared her throat. "Sorry to interrupt, but there's a boy from one of the Moon class looking for you."

Sanada-san perked up. "Moon class?"

"That's Seo-sama's class," one of the girls squealed.

"Let's go!" The girls practically stampeded out of the cafeteria, Sanada-san in the lead. "See you later, Ami-chan!' she called quickly over her shoulder. I tried to mask my relief. Especially since the girl who relayed the message was still standing next to me. Her head was bowed a little, light blue bangs covering her eyes. She looked up and gave me a shy smile. "You looked like you needed rescuing."

I'm sure my face flushed a bit. "Uh, yeah. T-Thanks. I was just a little...surprised. They've never talked to me before."

"It's because they think you'll get them closer to the Guardian boys." I must've looked puzzled. "Nagai-san's nice enough, but she's a little, um, boy-crazy. I'm sure she thinks if she gets closer to you, and you know Inokuma-san and Seo-san, well..."

"Oh." For some reason I was disappointed. Not that I had believed Sanada-san suddenly wanting to be friends didn't have anything to do with my new Guardianship. But I suddenly felt a little bit like a pawn in a chest game; easily used and disposed of. I briefly wondered if I Sanada-san really did plan on seeing me later. I noticed the girl was still standing near me, shuffling her feet. "Oh! Do you want to sit down Kasumi-san?"

She blinked. "You know my name?"

I nodded. "We've been in the same class two years now, right?" It'd taken me only a second to place a name, but I'd recognized the short sky-blue hair immediately. Aoi Kasumi is one of the quieter students, plus she's the only girl in the class who's shorter than me (only by about an inch).

Kasumi-san blushed a little. "Y-Yes. I know."

Daisy giggled, though she had retreated back into my jacket pocket, I'm sure she heard everything just fine. "She's shy. Just like Ami-chan." I placed a hand over my pocket as casually as possible. It still weirds me out that I can see and hear her, but most people can't.

Kasumi-san cleared her throat. "You know, Seo-san wasn't looking for Nagai-san. He was looking for you."

"Eh?"

"At least, I think so. He came by the classroom right after lunch started." She shrugged, lowering her eyes. "It's none of my business but I thought you should know."

"Thanks," I said, without much enthusiasm. Daisy prodded me from inside my pocket. _Right. I've still gotta tell him..._ I stood up slowly. "I guess I'd better find him before lunch is over." That probably only gave me a few minutes.

"Oh, okay. I'll see you in class then," Kasumi-san said.

"Okay." I wrapped up my half-eaten bento and left, trying to think of where Seo-san would most likely be during lunch. I was too embarrassed to visit his classroom or ask any of the other track team members, so I settled on the next most-likely place: The Royal Garden.

* * *

Cuxie: Somehow this got really long and off the intended track...

Ami: What was the intended track?

Cuxie: If I remembered it'd probably be there. But who cares! It's the best I can do at the moment.

Ami: I'm meeting a lot of new people lately.

Cuxie: You're horizons are expanding.^_^ Now if only we could speed up the romance...

Ami: EH?

Cuxie: Joking!(sorta) R&R!


	10. Briefly Better

Cuxie: Yodal-ay-EEEEEE-hi!

Kamiko: You're like a siren; whenever anyone hears you, it means there's trouble nearby.

Cuxie: How dare you say something cleverly insulting! REPLACEMENT!

Kamiko: Eh?

(-poof-)

Aoi: Huh? What am I doing here?

Cuxie: I know you! You were created last chapter.^^

Aoi: Uh...yeah?

Cuxie: Well...?

Aoi: 'Well' what?

Cuxie:...Acceptable. Rolling!

Aoi: O.o ?

* * *

"So it got away..."

I hung my head, not wanting to see the look of disappointment on Seo-san's face. I had found him, along with Yamabuki-san and Inokuma-senpai, in the Royal Garden just like I'd predicted. I hadn't had the courage to tell all of them about my failure, so I pulled Seo-san away to tell him privately.

He placed a hand on my shoulder and I jumped slightly. "Don't look so down. We've all lost our share of X-eggs. Although those two will never admit it." He glanced over at the other two Guardians, who were eyeing us as well. Then he smiled at me and said, "You'll get the hang of it soon enough."

He said it so confidently that I felt tears spring to my eyes. He honestly _believed in me_. Why, I'd never know. "I hope you're right."

His expression turned serious. "I _am_ a little concerned though. An X-egg running loose in such a public place...that could be trouble. "

"What should we do?"

He crossed his arms, looking pensive. "Well, we _could_ try and look for it, but honestly it could be anywhere by now."

That thought made me feel scared and guilty. That X-egg had caused _me_ enough trouble. Who knew how it was affecting everyone else? It had been loose for hours now. And hadn't Seo-san said that those things could cause problems for the bearer of the egg? I had a bad feeling about this... "Isn't there _something_ we can do? We can't just let it run rampant over town!"

He scratched his head. The look on his face told me that there _was_ something we could do, but he didn't really wanna do it. He glanced over at Inokuma-senpai and sighed. "Oi!" He yelled suddenly, strolling back over to the other Guardians. "You guys, I think we need to do some more patrolling after school today."

Yamabuki-san huffed loudly, already making excuses. Inokuma-senpai looked from Seo-san to me and back again. I squirmed as his dark eyes settled on me. His voice was cool and slightly detached when he asked, "And why all of a sudden?"

"We've got word of some X-egg sightings on the east side of town," Seo-san replied every bit as coolly, conveniently leaving out the fact that their newest Guardian had failed to capture it.

"Hmm..." Inokuma-senpai continued to eye both of us. Seo-san didn't seem to notice, but I couldn't help but feel like I was being watched under a microscope. The look in the King's eyes said he knew exactly what had happened and who was responsible. I found myself shifting to stand slightly behind Seo-san. He sighed, "Then I guess there isn't much of a choice."

Meeting the Guardians outside of school felt weird. It probably would've been less so if we had all walked directly from school into town. But Yamabuki-san had a flower-arranging class immediately after school, which left us with the option of going home first and then regrouping. We decided to meet at the huge water foutain were Lanna-chan had drawn me just the other day. Seo-san and I were the first to arrive, so we kept each other company for awhile. I was getting used to being around him, enjoying it even...

But once the others arrived Inokuma-senpai suggested that we split up. Since Seo-san had told him the general area of the X-egg sighting, which was the bridge, the boys crossed the bridge to cover one side, leaving Yamabuki-san and I to cover the other end. I was surprised that Inokuma-senpai had paired us this way. From what I could tell, he and Seo-san got along even less well than Yamabuki-san and I did.

Daisy and Tomo were delighted to be in each other's company. Once they got together it was quite a task to get them apart.

_Why is it that our charas can get along so well when Yamabuki-san and I are so..._ I glanced at the Queen as we patrolled the streets, which all in all was really just walking all over town and keeping an eye out for flying eggs. The silence between us was painfully awkward. Yamabuki-san was marching ahead with an annoyed look on her face. I wasn't sure if it was because I was with her. Apart from the initial "I can't believe Akio-sama stuck me with the newbie. I thought it was Makoto's job to babysit you" at the fountain, she hadn't said a word to me. It wasn't at all like being with Lanna-chan; she was so easy to talk to.

"Oooh! Ami-chan! Can we go in here?" Daisy latched onto one of my pigtails, steering my head in the direction of one of the shop windows.

"Daisy we're not...window-shopping..." The shop in front of us glittered with the metallic colors and rhinestones of dozens upon dozens of accessories. Stars danced in front of my eyes. I always get excited walking past the _Momo no ChouChou_ store. I've never brought anything from the store, and I've only been in a handful of times. But just standing near it makes me feel like a princess or something. But I had to restrain myself. We had an important job to do. "No...Daisy, we can't-Daisy?"

Daisy and Tomo were already inside.

"Are you always this easily distracted?" Yamabuki-san said with a flip of her hair. "You act like you've never seen a few trinkets before," she scoffed. My cheeks burned.

"S-Sorry. Um, D-Daisy and Tomo went into the, um, the store."

She rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "Honestly, those two are more trouble than they're worth." Throwing back her shoulders, she strode into the store and I crept in behind her.

Without the glare from the window, the store wasn't as blinding, but it was even more colorful on the inside. I felt my breath go out of me and my eyes became slightly unfocused, not knowing where to look in this sea of treasures.

Yamabuki-san looked right at home in all the studded jewelry and hair pieces. She immediately went towards front desk where they kept the more expensive items. "Hmm...let me see _that_," she told the clerk. He handed her a large hairclip in the shape of a dragonfly with green and blue crystal-like stones. It went well with her dress, a knee-length summer thing with a tiered purple and blue design and a large dragonfly embroidered near the hem.

I hadn't thought to dress for patrolling, so I wore nothing more than some capri pants and a plain yellow t-shirt.

She placed the clip in her hair and turned to me expectantly. "Well?"

I was a little surprised that she'd want my opinion, but I gave it regardless. "I-It looks pretty on you."

She waited, apparently expecting more praise. Before I could think of anything more to say she turned her back on me, then said to the clerk, "I'll take it, I suppose." Reaching into a small handbag, she handed him what looked like a credit card without even bothering to take the clip out of her hair. "Hold onto it in case I find anything else."

_Wow. She really can buy anything she wants._ I felt ridiculously poor shopping in the same store as she was. _But I'm not really shopping,_ I thought while catching site of some adorable dangly earrings with pearly stones. I fingered them lightly.

"You're getting _those_? I can't imagine you have anything to wear with them," Yamabuki-san said, snickering. "And that's if you can even afford them! They're no where near as expensive as _my_ pearl earrings."

I turned my back to her and put the earrings down. The truth was, I wasn't poor, but they were kind of expensive and I had nothing to go with them. It always hurts more when people make fun of me for things that are true. Even if I had the courage to confront them, I'd only be lying to them and myself.

"Ami-chan! Ami-chan!" Daisy rushed at me from behind. "Look what we found!" Between her and Tomo, they were carrying a silver chain that must've been a mile long. "It can be a jump rope!"

"No, it can't," I hissed at her. "Put that down before somebody sees!"

They dropped the chain onto the floor suddenly.

"Um...I meant put it bac-"

"X-egg," Tomo whispered. She flew around me, heading towards Yamabuki-san. "We've gotta hurry. It's moving farther away!"

Yamabuki-san nodded discreetly, took her credit card back, and headed briskly out of the store. Remaining calm the entire time, she did nothing to draw attention to herself in spite of what was going on. _Something I should probably make a note of,_ I thought as I rushed to keep up.

"Which way is it?"

Without answering, she turned down another street and started running. I watched in awe as a large colorful hammer materialized in her hand. As I caught up with her I caught sight of a large yellow smiley face pinned to her dress. "I see it!" We were headed towards the bridge again. I spotted the egg just as it ducked under. "C'mere you!" Yamabuki-san shouted playfully, giving chase. I'd never heard her talk like that before...

"Let's do it too Ami-chan! Chara Change!"

I felt myself gripping my own weapons as Daisy and I raced after them. Yamabuki-san stood at the water's edge peering under the bridge. There wasn't much room to walk under without getting your feet wet. "Ami-chan, watch the other side! We can corner it!"

I nodded. _Wait, did she just call me 'Ami-chan'?_ Before I could think to react, the egg popped up on my side. I swung a disk blindly at it, not having enough time to aim. The X-egg made a shrieking noise and raced back to Yamabuki-san's side. She took a few swings at it with her hammer. The little thing flew anxiously back and forth between us. _It looks scared..._ I edged myself onto the narrow strip of grass under the bridge, trying to get closer. "I gotcha-!"

"Whoa!"

As I threw my disk, I hadn't noticed that Yamabuki-san had also been moving towards it. She swung her hammer hard, wobbling as she did so. It deflected my disk and sent it flying straight at me, hitting my shoulder and making me tilt backwards. As we both tried to regain our balance, we reached for each other. Yamabuki-san grabbed my hand as I fell backwards and we both tumbled into the water.

The water was cold and, being so close to the bank, a bit muddy. "Mou! We almost had it!" Yamabuki-san scrambled to get up, shaking her hair out like a dog. Muddy water flew everywhere. I giggled, too amused to worry about her getting mad at me. She looked like a poodle! "Eh? What's so funny?" I pointed at the water so she could see her reflection. "Wah! My hair!" She puffed out her cheeks and I tried to smother my laughter. "Hn. Let's see how you like it!" Grinning deviously, she splashed water on me.

"Hey!"

The splash fight that ensued was nothing short of crazy. Soaked and filthy, we were both having too much fun to worry about our clothes or someone seeing us. And I couldn't help but marvel at Yamabuki-san's sudden change of heart. Or rather, change of character. _Maybe we can be friends after all..._

"What the heck are you doing?"

Looking up, I swallowed hard. Inokuma-senpai and Seo-san were peering at us over the edge of the bridge. Seo-san looked amused, but senpai clearly wasn't. His eyes were narrowed and he looked us like we were pigs rolling around in mud.

Yamabuki-san and I exchanged looks. A faint shimmer in the air told me that both of our Chara Changes had just worn off.

Yamabuki-san flushed all the way up to her ears. "Ah! A-Akio-sama! This is, um, we weren't...ah, I-I..."

"We didn't come out here to goof off." He gave us another distasteful look and shook his head. "If you two aren't gonna take this seriously then you might as well go home."

The Queen looked anything but royal at that moment. Soaked cold through, her shoulders slumped, she held herself in a way I'd never seen before. Nothing of her usual confidence showed through the shamed look on her face. She stared back at him as if he had struck her, tears pooling in her eyes. Then, turning sharply, she shot me a quick, searing glare and took off running.

"Inokuma!" Seo-san shoved past him and ran down the bridge, coming to my side. We both stared in the direction Yamabuki-san had left in. He sighed, "We're not gonna hear the end of this for awhile." He stuck out his hand to help me up.

I couldn't say anything. The moment had gone from fun to mortifying so quickly my brain had barely had time to process it. All I could think of at that moment though, was that for once I hadn't been the one to run away.

* * *

Cuxie: Aww... That's what happens to characters who insult me in the opening.

Kamiko: I can't believe Akio-sama saw me like that! I've never been so embarrassed in my life!

Cuxie: Really? We'll fix that. By the time this story is finished that moment will be the _highlight_ of your life!

Kamiko: WAAAH! TT^TT

Cuxie: Crybaby. Geez. What do you guys think? Did she get what was coming to her? R&R!


	11. Trying Harder

Cuxie: "Everybody's starry-eyed~!"

Makoto: Hi, Ellie. Seen Cuxie anywhere?

Cuxie: Very funny, pretty boy.

Makoto: We left off on a pretty bad note...Any chance we could fix that this chapter?

Cuxie: Ah ah ah! No spoilers for the chapter!

Makoto: (shrugs) It was worth a shot. :P

Cuxie: Aaaaaaaaaaaaand...ROLL!

* * *

An entire week passed before Yamabuki-san talked to me again.

Granted, she didn't really talk to me much before. But now I could actually _feel_ her ignoring and avoiding me. In class, she was solemn-faced and serious. Occasionally, I could feel her glaring daggers at me from her seat, but whenever I would turn to look, she'd be facing forward, away from me.

And she completely blew off the Guardian meetings. Even though I tried my best to stay out of the Royal Garden during the meetings, instead immersing my self in my gardening duties, Yamabuki-san never came around. Most likely to avoid Inokuma-senpai.

I had tried a few times to apologize (for what, I wasn't sure). But those times proved to be more volatile than others. "She's always upset about something," Seo-san tried to reassure me. "She'll get over it eventually." I wasn't too sure.

"What's wrong?" Kasumi-san asked me again. I'd taken to eating lunch with her in the cafeteria. We both liked the quiet. For a few days, Sanada-san and her clique would come by, asking probing questions about the Guardians. But once they realized I wasn't a good source for gossip they left us alone.

"Nothing," I sighed. My mind was still on Yamabuki-san and her grudge against me. Not to mention the fact that I had lost my second X-egg. I'm really terrible at this Guardian business. _I wonder how long it'll be before Seo-san realizes and finally lets me quit._ I realized I was being rude and turned my attention back to Kasumi-san. "What were you saying?"

She twirled her spoon around in a cup of vanilla pudding. "Just that I'm going to the park on Saturday to try and take some pictures of the ducks."

I smiled. "That sounds like fun." Kasumi-san's really into animals, particularly birds. I knew that before we started eating lunch together. All her notebooks are covered in animal stickers and she has a keychain of a bluejay on her bookbag. But I just recently discovered that she's into photography.

"Really?" She blushed lightly. "M-Most people would think its boring."

I shook my head. "No way. My dad's a wild bird photographer. He's always going on about...

Kasumi-san's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. "No way! That's so cool!"

"Um..."

"Does he work for a magazine? Is he with the nature network?"

"Uh, a magazi-"

"What kind of camera does he use?"

"I don't really-"

"Does he have to travel far for his work? Where does he take his pictures?"

I started to tremble. Kasumi-san's eyes were wide and hungry-looking. She was leaning forward expectantly. I was used to being badgered about my sister, but not my dad. People like my father didn't usually have big followings. Nevertheless, Kasumi-san's rapid shift into fangirl was enough to back me revert back into my overly-shy, stressed, former-Guardian self. I was plotting my escape when she plopped back into her seat with a little gasp.

"I-I'm...so sorry. I didn't mean to...I just..." She bit her lip in frustration. Hurriedly, she gathered her things and left.

"Kasumi-chan!"

Daisy twitched in my pocket where she'd been napping. The mess with Yamabuki-san has put an end to her playtime with Tomo. She's spent the last few days moping around in my bag and pockets. "Nnn..." Her eye cracked open. "Ne ne, what's wrong Ami-chan?"

That was the second time someone's run away from me this week. The last time, I didn't do anything about it and now Yamabuki-san's got a grudge against me. The last thing I needed was another spat to worry about. Besides, I'd gotten used to eating lunch with Kasumi-san. Now that I know what its like to be around people (at least, people who don't hound me about my sister) I don't want to go back to eating alone.

Leaving behind my half-eaten lunch, I ran off in search of my friend.

I found her in the library, the one place that's used even less than the cafeteria. It's separate from the media room, where all the computers are, so no one really comes in. But I'd remembered Kasumi-san saying it was a great place to do homework, and the librarian doesn't mind if you read magazines.

Kasumi-san's blue head stood out like a beacon against the pale yellow walls and dusty book spines. She sat just out of sight of the front desk. I hesitated. She was sitting alone, staring desolately at a magazine. I hesitated. "Go on," Daisy prodded. I almost turned back around. But something about Kasumi-san sitting there all by herself made me stop. _Is that how I look when I'm alone? When I run away and try to hide?_ I felt pity for both of us.

"Kasumi-san..." She looked up at me. So did the librarian, who narrowed her eyes reproachfully. I duct my head and scurried over. "Kasumi-san, why did you run away?"

She wouldn't meet my eyes. "...I know you don't like it when people hassle you about your family. I promised myself I would never do that, but...I-I just...couldn't help it. It's my dream to become a wildlife photographer! I never thought I might actually know someone who...I-I'm sorry." Her cheeks burned shamefully.

_Dream, huh?_ Maybe if I had one I'd understand why everyone freaks out over my family. If I had a chance to meet someone I really admired...well, I don't think I'd use anyone to get to them, but I might act differently towards that person. And I know Kasumi-san would never use me. Maybe its possible for her to like me for me _and_ to want to meet my dad.

"Kasumi-san...do you want to come over to my house?"

Kasumi-san and I parted ways outside the library as I rushed off to gym and she went to art class. _I can't believe she's coming over!_ My insides were in knots. For the first time in forever, I actually had plans! I briefly wondered what my mother would say, and if my sister would be home... Kasumi-san's never expressed any interest in meeting my sister. But maybe she's just hiding it. She _did_ say she would never bother me about it. But that doesn't mean she won't go all fangirl on me again if they're actually in the same room. Most people's response to being able to breathe the same air as my sister is starry-eyed reverence. _No no no, stop it! Kasumi-san's not like that!_ But how could I know that for sure?

"Hi Hiro!" Daisy shouted suddenly. I noticed Inokuma-senpai had turned into the hallway in front of me. His chara appeared, sparing a moment to greet Daisy. Again I was struck my his unusualness. His longish black hair and calm silve-grey eyes didn't resemble his bearer in the least. Inokuma-senpai kept walking.

"Inokuma-senpai!" I didn't realize until he turned around that I'd called his name.

"Yes?" he asked distantly.

Blushing, I stepped forward hesitantly, thankful no one was around to see. Who knew what rumors would start circulating? "S-Senpai...are you, um...mad? At me and Yamabuki-san?"

He blinked, staring back blankly at me.

_He doesn't know what I'm talking about..._ "Um, you know, b-because of the X-egg the other day..."

"Oh, that." He shrugged complacently. "What's done is done. I don't really care."

_I guess that means he's not..._ But wasn't he concerned that Yamabuki-san has been skipping meetings? Isn't he even a little bit worried about the X-egg that's still out there somewhere? _He should _be, I thought, then chastised myself. _He's the King's Chair. He knows what he's doing._ He turned back around and started walking. "Wait!" I caught the sleeve of his jacket, then immediately cursed myself. What on earth was I doing? He turned around again. This time his normally emotionless eyes held a hint of impatience. "Do, um, d-do you think you could tell Yamabuki-san that? I think she's still upset that she might've made you angry."

He looked at me curiously, then continued down the hallway, his silence making me feel smaller the farther he went away. _I guess it was worth a shot...even if I've annoyed him now._

After the last bell, I met Kasumi-san out front, or Aoi-chan, as she's asked me to call her. My stomach was full to bursting with butterflies. I think we were both a little shy. More so than usual, I mean. I had resolved to not worry about who would be home or what would be said until we actually got there. But that was easier said than done. And there were plenty of other things to worry about. Like what we would do, or if she'd like my room, or if she'd only want to talk to my dad... I shook my head to expel the thoughts. _No worrying!_

"Ami-chan's made a friend," Daisy sang gleefully. She had figured out that in front of other people she could get away with a lot since it was hard to keep her quiet without looking like a weirdo.

As we passed by the front gates, something dark caught my eye. A girl was standing in front of the school, arms crossed over her chest. I couldn't see her face, but her hair was dark and pin-straight, falling just past her shoulders. She was wearing a uniform...but not one from our school. Something about her seemed...off.

As if sensing me looking, she turned. Her eyes were a deep, dark red. Her bangs were cut long on one side, covering half of her face, and nonexistent on the other. Her mouth was set in a tense line. She looked...threatening. I quickly averted my gaze.

"What's wrong?" Aoi-chan asked.

"N-Nothing..." _I hope._

* * *

Cuxie: Ok! Once again I've managed to deviate away from the main plot, then jump back on it at the last second.

Daisy: But its nice to see Ami-chan being friendly!^^

Cuxie: Yeah, I guess. But its back on course next chapter! I swear it!

Tomo: Swearing isn't very nice.

Cuxie: Gah! Where'd you come from? You weren't in this chapter!

Tomo: Or was I? ;)

Cuxie: O.o...R-R&R please. Who knows who might be watching?


	12. Way Nervous

Cuxie: Once again, my deepest apologies for the delayed update. (Bows)

Kamiko: Someone was busy with summer school...

Cuxie: It wasn't summer school! It was an educational summer program! What summer school takes people ice-skating and rock-climbing and to Six Flags? Huh? HUH?

Kamiko: Alright, whatever. -_-

Cuxie: You're darn right whatever! I'm almost to upset to roll now. ~3~

Kamiko:...

Cuxie:...

Kamiko:...GET ON WITH IT!

Cuxie: Ok, ok, sheesh. Ahem (clears throat), ro-...you know, maybe I should roll my 'r's when I say it. Rrrrrrr-(cough), ahem. Let me try again-

Kamiko: CUXIE!

Cuxie: ROLLING! Geez...

**This chapter is dedicated to kittyallstars! Thanks for the nice review! You motivated me to update!^-^**

* * *

"You're room is so cute, Ami-chan." Aoi-chan stood by the door, seeming a bit shy about entering my room. It suddenly seemed very small with two people in it. And I suddenly wished I'd listened to Mama the last time she told me to clean it. Several of my magazines were on the floor and my dresser was covered in hair clips, ribbons, and other accessories. As I tried to imagine seeing things from Aoi-chan's point of view, I realized my room was very..._pink_. Pink bedspread, pink curtains, a large pink flower-shaped rug. "It suits you," she said with a small smile.

"Really?"

"Definitely."

"Thanks." I plopped down on my bed. "You can sit down if you want." I gestured towards my desk chair and Aoi-chan went over to it.

"You're dad is so cool," she said quietly. Just like I predicted, they both hit it off really well. My dad doesn't get to talk about his work much to anyone who will really listen. He even gave her a picture he took of an endangered crane. She told him she would frame it.

"He definitely likes you."

"You think so? I hope he didn't think I was pushy, asking so many questions..."

I laughed, "Are you kidding me? He loved it!" I was starting to get more comfortable around Aoi-chan. The more time I spend around her, the more sure I am that we can actually be friends.

Amu still wasn't home yet though, so the true test of friendship will have to wait until next time. _Next time! There might actually be a next time!_

Before I could dissolve into giggles, my phone beeped with a text message. _It's Lanna-chan!_ I smiled, feeling particularly social today.

**R we still on 4 the CD signing on Sat.?**

I'd nearly forgotten about that. Utau was going to be signing CDs at the local music store this weekend. Normally, I wouldn't bother going since I can see Utau any time with Amu and I've known her long enough now that I'm way beyond asking her for an autograph, even if she _is_ my idol. (That, and when I was little I had her autograph nearly anthing I could get my hands on whenever she'd come by.)

But I didn't want to turn down an opportunity to hang out with my new friend. And speaking of new friends... "Hey, Aoi-chan? Do you want to go to Utau's CD signing?"

"You're going?" she asked, surprised. She probably thought that I went to such events all the time with my sister.

I felt my cheeks color. "W-Well, my friend wanted to go, so...you don't have to come if you don't want-"

"No," she said quickly. "It's fine, I'll go. I mean, I want to."

"Ok." I smiled and quickly text back Lanna-chan: **Yes! I'm bringing a friend if u don't mind.**

A second later my phone beeped again. **Cool! Cya then! :D**

This social butterfly thing was turning out to be pretty fun.

Or so I thought. By Saturday I was feeling a little nervous. I hadn't woken up on time, and Aoi-chan was coming to meet me in a few minutes so that we could walk into town together. Lanna-chan would meet us at the bridge, and from there we would go to the CD signing and then stop somewhere for lunch.

Of course, this was all assuming I ever finished getting dressed.

"I changed my mind. I like this one better!" Holding up yet another skirt, Daisy continued to slow me down and make a mess of my closet. I secretly wished she would spend more time with Onee-chan's charas so she could learn how to behave and be more helpful. But Onee-chan usually left before me and got home later than me, so there wasn't much time for chara-bonding. Or any other kind of bonding... I desperately wanted my sister's help; I wanted her to train me to be a better Guardian. But whenever I got the chance to talk to her I clammed up. My sister probably knows more about the Guardians and charas than anyone. What did she think of me having such a girly, loud, peppy chara when I was such a mouse?

And what would she think of me losing my first X-egg and screwing things up with the Queen? Rima-senpai was the Queen's Chair when Amu was a Guardian, and they're best friends!

_No_, I thought sadly,_ she wouldn't understand. Amu doesn't know what it's like to be a failure._

"Ami-chan!"

"What?" I was already in a hot pink ruffled tank top and white capris. It was too late to change again no matter what new outfit she'd thrown out. "I'm not-"

Daisy was walking precariously around the edge of the flowerpot on the window sill, the _Fushigi Hana_. "Look! Look!"

As I was pulling up my hair I walked over to the window. Peeping cautiously through the moist dirt were two small round leaves. "It's sprouting!"

"We're going to have a sunflower! Can we get some more plants, Ami-chan? Pleeeease!" Daisy begged. "We could put them all over the room and have and indoor garden!"

I laughed. "I think we should wait and see how this one turns out."

Ami-chan!" Mama called from downstairs. "Your friend is here!"

"Coming!" I headed for the door, feeling confident for once thanks to my mystery flower. "Ready Daisy?"

"Let's hit it!"

Aoi-chan was waiting on the front steps.

"You could've come inside," I told her, closing the door behind me before Mama could stop me for kisses or something equally embarrassing.

"I didn't want to be a bother." She shrugged nonchalantly. "I like your hair."

"Really?" I touched one of my pigtails self-consciously. On a whim, I had braided them and replaced my usual ribbons with glittery pink pom-poms. "Thanks."

Aoi-chan laughed, "You always sound so surprised when I compliment you."

_Well, compliments are few and far between in my world. _Suddenly nervous, I decided to change the subject; "Are you excited about seeing Utau?"

"A little, yeah. I've never met a real celebrity in-person before." Then she turned to me, kind of nervous. "Um, Ami-chan? W-Would you, um, be upset if I got...your sister's autograph too?"

That stopped me dead in my tracks. "...My sister?" I felt like I swallowed a lump of coal. Why was Aoi-chan bringing up my sister _now_? My heart fell into my stomach. I could've choked on the disappointed. _Maybe she _is_ just like all the others..._

"I'm sorry! Please don't be mad," she begged. "I just figured since she'll be there it would only make sense to get her autograph too...But not if it'll make you that upset! Ok, Ami-chan? Ami-chan?" I didn't hear a word she said after 'since she'll be there'.

_"...she'll be there..."_

_Amu...she's going to be there. She's going to be at the CD signing!_ How could I not have figured that? _Of course_ Onee-chan would be there! She's featured on the album with Utau-san. It only makes sense that they would promote it together. But now Aoi-chan's going to meet her...She's going to become starstruck just like every other girl I know. It's going to be all about Onee-chan. _Again_.

_And Lanna-chan..._ We were close to the bridge now. I thought I could see Lanna-chan in the distance. What would she think when she found out who my sister was? Amu's well known for her fashion sense. How many times have I been with her when she was stopped on the street for a photo? Lanna-chan would go nuts.

Somewhere deep inside I felt something unfamiliar. _Anger_. Why, oh why, does Amu always get all the attention? All the glory? Am I not allowed even a few friends of my own? Can't anything ever just be about _me_? It's not fair that I'm always left standing in my sister's shadow. When am I going to get my own spotlight?

A sharp pain pulled me out of my thoughts. "Ow!" Daisy had pinched me on my cheek. "What are you doing?"

"You looked mad," two voices echoed at once. I realized Aoi-chan and Daisy had both been speaking. Aoi-chan, who'd been gripping my arm rather tightly, released me. She looked a bit upset herself. "Are you okay, Ami-chan?"

"I..I...Yes."

She sighed. "I'm sorry. I said I wouldn't hassle you about your family. I won't mention your sister anymore, okay?"

My fear and anger were washed away by guilt. Here I was upsetting Aoi-chan with my stupid insecurities. "No, no, it's alright. I don't mind." Well, that wasn't exactly true, but it was what she needed to hear. "Really. You can get my sister's autograph if you want it. Honestly, I don't mind."

She didn't look like she believed me, but was eager to let the subject drop.

"Hey guys!" It _was_ Lanna-chan I'd seen in the distance. She came running towards us, her blonde curls bouncing behind her. "Ami-chan!" She ambushed me with a hug.

"Hi Lanna-chan," I choked out, surprised. Over her shoulder, I saw another blonde girl walking more slowly towards us.

"I saw you guys walking. You sure were taking your time." Lanna-chan turned to Aoi-chan with a bright smile. "Hi! I'm Lanna Terakan. You must be Ami-chan's friend."

"Um, yes." Aoi-chan seemed about as surpised by Lanna-chan's bubbliness as I was. "Aoi Kasumi." She stuck out her hand, but Lanna-chan pulled her into a hug as well.

"Nice to meet you!" I mentally thanked Lanna-chan. Her perkiness had taken all of the awkwardness out of the air. I made a mental note to act completely normal until we got to the music store. Then, well...then I wasn't sure what I'd do. _I can disappear while they're getting their CDs signed, _I thought suddenly. It had just occured to me that without me there, Amu-chan wouldn't know Aoi-chan or Lanna-chan from any other girls at the event. If I could just slip off for a bit, long enough for them to get their CDs signed, then nothing would have to be abnormal. Aoi-chan would know immediately why I'd run off though...

I hope I can trust her not to say anything to Lanna-chan.

"This is my big sister, Gina," she said when the other girl got close enough. Gina-senpai looked like a slightly older version of Lanna-chan, with the same reddish-orange eyes and curly hair. Hers was cut into a short bob thought, while Lanna-chan's flowed past her shoulders.

"Don't mind me," Gina-senpai said. "I'm just the babysitter."

Lanna-chan leaned closer to us. "Don't let her fool you," she whispered. "She's like Utau's _biggest_ fan."

I tried to enjoy the walk there. (I knew once we got there everything would just go downhill). Gina-senpai walked a decent distance ahead of us. I could tell she wasn't as old as my sister, but apparently she wasn't too thrilled about escorting three fourth graders. Aoi-chan and Lanna-chan seemed to hit it off pretty well. Lanna-chan's talkative enough that things never got too quiet. And I could tell Aoi-chan was impressed when she found out Lanna-chan was into fashion design.

"You _made_ that?" she asked, eyeing Lanna-chan's green and yellow striped halter top with the braided trim. "That's awesome."

Lanna-chan shrugged modestly. "It's nothing, really." I could tell she appreciated the compliment though. "I made it at school."

"Are you in a club?"

"Yep! I'm vice-president of the Crafts Club."

"That's so cool. I've been thinking about joining a club at school, but I don't think there's anything I'm really good at," Aoi-chan admitted.

"It doesn't have to be something you're good at. Just something you're interested in. Or something you _want_ to be good at. Part of being in a club is improving or learning a new skill." Lanna-chan sounded particularly wise just then. "You and Ami-chan go to the same school, right?" She turned to me. "Are you in any clubs?"

"Uh, no, not right now."

Aoi-chan looked at me funny. "What are you talking about? You're the Ace Chair of the Guardians."

"Oh." I had never really thought of the Guardians as a club. More like an assignment or a job. Clubs are supposed to be fun. And the Guardians, well...Seo-san is nice and I get along well with him. But Akio-senpai and Yamabuki-san don't really want anything to do with me. And we don't do stuff together like other clubs do... "I hadn't really thought of it that way."

"What are you guys talking about?" Lanna-chan looked between us. "Ace Chair and Guardians?"

"The Guardians are like...our student council, I guess. Ami-chan can probably explain it better." They both looked at me expectantly.

"W-Well, you had it about right Aoi-chan. It's like student council. We, um, speak at assemblies and oversee some of the other clubs, and..." I tried to quickly recall what I'd seen the Guardians do. _C'mon Ami! You've been a Guardian for two weeks now; you should know something!_ Wait...two weeks?

_"Try it for two weeks. If you don't like it, you can quit."_

My trial period was up. Monday would be the start of the third week. _If_ I choose to continue, that is.

"Ami-chan? Hello? Ami-chan?" Lanna-chan's hand waved inches from my face.

I snapped to. "Huh?"

"You spaced out. Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah. Fine," I answered quickly. Then I noticed something. "Hey, we almost walked right past the music store." _The Black Note_ music shop was full to bursting. The line for the CD signing stretched outside of the shop and all the way past the store next to it. "Wow. We might be here for awhile." We quickly jumped to the end of the line. In no time at all at least a dozen more people were behind us.

"Hey," Aoi-chan said suddenly. "Is that Yamabuki-san?" She pointed up ahead at a girl in a baseball cap and dark sunglasses. Nothing like I'd ever seen Yamabuki-san wear. But the curly auburn ponytail was unmistakable.

"I think so."

"A friend of yours?" Lanna-chan asked curiously.

"Uh, she's a Guardian too," I replied, without really answering the question. I thought about saying hello or something, but decided against it. She probably didn't want to talk to me anyway, and she was too far ahead of us in line.

The closer we got to the front of the line, the more nervous I became. I hadn't thought of a good excuse to sneak off yet. At least, not one that didn't involve actually going into the store and possibly being spotted by my sister, who would undoubtedly call out to me. Amu always likes to score me freebies and such whenever there's an event she's involved in. It's usually one of the upsides to having a practically famous sibling. But not in front of my new friends. _I could always say I don't have any money for the CD..._

Suddenly we were inside the store. Utau's table was set up dead center of the store, in front of all the racks of CDs. Along the walls stood old vinyl records, mostly for show. A few bordered the wall for decoration. Two body guards stood on either side of the table. A few feet to the right a photographer was snapping pics.

Utau and Amu were busily signing CDs. My sister looked so professional; dressed like an idol in black lace leggings, short silver boots, a vintage tee-dress, belted twice, and a cherry crop jacket. Her hair was held up in a high side ponytail with a black tulle rose clip in place of her usual 'X'.

Utau, like my sister, wore her hair the same way, with a purple rose instead of a black one. She had on a purple shirt dress with a thick black belt, black striped leggings, and white wedge heels.

"Wow!" Lanna-chan gasped when she saw them. "Amazing! Now _that's_ fashion! I wish I had my camera!" She took out her cell phone and immediately started snapping pics.

"Amu-chan!" Daisy cried, loudly in my ear. "You didn't tell me we were coming to see Amu-chan!" She flew past the line of people, heading straight for my sister.

"No!"

"What's wrong?" Aoi-chan asked worriedly.

"I...I..." I watched my chara go up to my sister, who blinked in surprise. Then she looked up and spotted me immediately. She smiled and gave me a little wave.

"Oh my gosh, is she waving at _us_?" Lanna-chan asked, already waving back excitedly. In fact, nearly everyone in line was waving at my sister. Even Gina-senpai, who looked about as excited as Lanna-chan did. Aoi-chan still looked concerned, but she didn't say anything. I guess she could be trusted not to tell Lanna-chan my little secret.

"They're both so pretty. I wonder if Amu-san dyes her hair..." My blonde friend speculated aloud.

"Oh, no way." Gina-senpai turned around, finally acknowledging us. "It's totally natural. You can tell because her eyelashes are pink too."

"Really? I never noticed that."

"They had a great headshot of her in _Moxie_ magazine in the feature article for this album. You can see there," Her sister informed her. "Amu-san's totally going to launch solo soon, so I've been keeping up with all her interviews and stuff."

"You think she'll get a recording contract?"

"She's already been offered one."

I watched them go back and forth about the future of my sister's music career. The whole time my heart was doing jumping jacks while I scanned the store for an emergency exit. _I __**have**__ to get out of here...!_

* * *

Cuxie: Red Alert! Panic Attack!

Lanna: Nobody panic!

Gina: Am I gonna have a bigger role?

Cuxie: Eh. You're pretty much a nobody at this point.

Gina: What? No fair! Why does the kid get a bigger role than me?

Cuxie: 'Cause. =P Wow, this chappy was long! That's to make up for the wait.^^ R&R! More coming soon!


	13. In Trouble

Cuxie: A warm welcome chickadees! Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter.^^

Ami: Um, I didn't.

Cuxie: I was talking to the _reviewies_! Ya know, the people who _matter_.

Ami: T-T

Amu: Don't say she doesn't matter!

Cuxie: I didn't! ...I just _implied_ it.

Amu: Don't worry, Ami. She wouldn't be doing a story about you if she didn't like you.

Cuxie: Actually, I've always found Ami to be annoying.

Ami: TT^TT

Cuxie: Which _does _beg the question of why I bother to write about her...

Amu: L-Let's just start the chapter before you can reevaluate that idea...

Cuxie: (Shrugs) Ce roll!

* * *

My heart was pounding as I tried to think up a plausible excuse to jet out of there. We were getting close to the front of the line. Ahead of us, I could see Yamabuki-san was getting her CD signed. I saw her bow deeply and shake my sister's hand vigorously. When she turned around her CD was clasped tight to her chest, and she was grinning widely. Along with the baseball cap, she also had on a long dark blue hooded jacket and dark sunglasses. It was almost as if she were in disguise.

"Yamabuki-san?" I said aloud, just because I wasn't sure if it was her. The wide smile and nondescript clothes made me think twice.

I don't know if she heard me or just saw me, but as soon as she laid eyes on me her smile dropped and she gasped sharply. Her head swiveled around quickly, surveying the surrounding area, before she mad a quick dash for the exit.

"Wow..." Aoi-chan murmed next to me. My face burned shamely. _Is Yamabuki-san really going to hate me forever?_

"Ami-chan!" Daisy returned to my side just as quickly as she had left. "Aren't you going to come say hi to Amu-chan?"

I couldn't talk to her in public, so I just shook my head stiffly.

"Eh?" She looked perplexed, thin eyebrows knitted over large pink orbs. "Why not? Why not?"

I huffed loudly, trying to get my point across wordlessly. Daisy isn't all that perceptive.

"What's wrong?" Aoi-chan asked, wondering why I was suddenly so agitated.

"Oh, um, nothing."

Daisy pulled on one of my braids. "Ami-chaaaaaan!"

Irritated, I swatted at her quickly, knocking her back a few paces. When she regained her balance she looked at me with angry tears in her eyes. "Meanie!" I thought she'd go back to Amu, but instead she took off in the other direction, flying straight out the door over the heads of dozens of girls.

"Ah, wait!"

"Wait for what?" Aoi-chan asks, confused.

"Ah, um..." In the time it took me to glance at Aoi-chan and back again, Daisy had disappeared. "Aoi-chan, I have to, um, uh..."

"I understand."

"What?"

She glanced over at my sister inconspicuously. "I get it. It's okay. I'll think of something to tell Lanna-chan."

Grateful tears sprang to my eyes. "T-Thank you."

"Are you still coming with us to lunch?"

"Yeah, sure." _If I can find Daisy by then..._ I didn't waste another second getting out of there. There wasn't much time to find Daisy. I didn't even know what direction she had gone in. _Stay calm! First, check all the places Daisy has been to._ I started to retrace all the routes I'd taken through town since Daisy had hatched. It was hard remembering every single place I'd been to with her. I'd gotten as far as the dress shop where I'd met Lanna-chan when I ran out of ideas. _What if she didn't go to a place I've been to? What if she's lost and can't find her way back?_

I stopped at the crosswalk to the park. Worst case senarios were running through my head. _What if I never see Daisy again?_ I had never asked for a chara, but if something happened to her because of me I'd never forgive myself. I started to feel sick. My vision began to go fuzzy around the edges...

"Why are you crying?"

Blinking, I realized tears were blurring my vision. Absently, I touched one, then looked at the bead of water on my fingertip.

"Hey? Are you deaf or something?"

"Akio, don't be so rude." I felt a soft weight settle on my shoulder. "What's wrong, Ami-chan?" My head turned quickly, thinking it might be Daisy. Instead, it was a boy chara with short black hair, silvery eyes, and a Chinese style Kung-fu shirt.

I sniffled. "...Hiro?"

He smiled and wiped one of my tears away.

"Well, I guess I'm just invisible." Inokuma-senpai stood beside me, his hands shoved carelessly into his pockets and his usual annoyed expression in place. "What's your problem?"

I wasn't sure if I should tell him. Afterall, my whole position as a Guardian, whether or not I decided to keep it, relied on me having a chara. What would Inokuma-senpai do if he found out I lost her?

_Then again..._ I thought,_ if I don't find Daisy I don't have much of a future as a Guardian anyway._

"Well?"

"...I...I can't find Daisy."

Senpai didn't have much of a reaction. "Hn. Figures."

I felt more tears gushing down.

"Oh, Ami-chan..." Hiro patted my cheek consolingly.

"W-What if I d-don't find her?" I could barely get the words out. I hid my face in my hands.

"H-Hey..." Inokuma-senpai said uncertainly. "Can you not do that here? People are staring and it's not, uh...geez. C'mon." He took my wrist and started pulling me down the street. "If I help you find her will you stop the waterworks?"

Wiping at my face, I looked up at him. "...R-Really? You'll help me look for her?"

"Of course we will," Hiro answered. "Charas can sense the presence of other charas you know. I'll find her in no time."

"Really?" I stopped walking. "Can you sense anything now?" I waited while Hiro closed his eyes and focused. When he opened them, they were wide and worried.

He hesitated. "I...I sense _something_...It's not Daisy though."

"What is it?" Inokuma-senpai asked.

"It's an X-egg."

I gasped. "What? Where?" But even as I asked, I could see it coming from the treetops. Somehow, I knew it was that same topsy-turvy X-egg that's been evading me for days now. "What do we do?"

"_We_ don't do anything. _I'm_ going to destroy it. _You_ are going to stay here and out of the way." Inokuma-senpai gave me a stern look.

"'D-Destroy it'...?" But didn't Seo-san tell me that X-eggs were dreams gone bad? If he destroys it... "You can't!"

He ignored me and reached for Hiro. "Ready?"

"Chara Change!"

In a bright flash of silver sparkles, two gleaming silver dagger-like things appeared in his hands. He brandished them like an expert. The X-egg, if possible, looked frightened. Senpai jumped at it, and the egg dodged around dizzily. "Wait! Senpai, please stop!" I chased after him. _He can't break the egg! He's a Guardian! We're supposed to save dreams, not crush them!_ "Senpai!"

He glanced back at me briefly. "Stay back Hinamori!" he growled. In the split second that he was distracted, the X-egg took advantage and zipped around him...

...and came straight at me.

"Hinamori, look out!"

I flinched, preparing for another smack in the head. It didn't come.

"Spiral Heart!"

I jolted at the familiar voice. Could it be... "Onee-chan?"

My sister stood in front of me, shielding me from the X-egg's power. She was clad in pink cheerleading attire that I had never in my life seen her wear. In her hand was a rod with pink crystal hearts on either end. A weapon, maybe? The X-egg in front of her was frozen in a cloud of pink dusted. "Negative Heart: LOCK ON!" She proceeded to thrust out her hands in a serious of complicated signs and signals. "Open Heart!"

I covered my face again as a powerful gust of wind shot forward. My sister was emmitting some sort of strange power. Half-blinded by the colors and lights, I barely saw the egg transform from black to pure white. For a second it lingered before shooting off into the sky.

"Where'd it go?" I wondered aloud.

My sister turned to me with a smile. "Back to it's owner. It'll know how to find them."

"So...it's not an X-egg anymore? It's back to normal?"

"Uh-huh."

"Wow..." I stared at the sky even though the egg was long gone. Then I snapped to. "Wah! O-O-Onee-chan! Wh-What are you doing here?"

She blinked at me. As she did so, her elaborate outfit shimmered away back to what she'd been wearing at the signing. She crossed her arms behind her head in a carefree manner. "Well, I saw you run out of the music store and figured something was up. Then Ran picked up an X-egg prescence."

"We were almost too late!" The little pink chara exclaimed.

"Yeah," the blue one, Miki, added, "that egg would've beamed you right in the head."

"Just glad I got here in time," Amu murmed. She looked around, then suddenly noticed Inokuma-senpai standing a few feet from us. His weapons were gone and he was staring at Amu in awe. She walked up to him. "Hey, I'm Amu Hinamori, Ami's big sister." Onee-chan never assumes that people already know who she is. "You must be a Guardian too, right?"

Senpai nodded mutely.

"What's your name?"

His cheeks colored slightly. "A-Akio Inokuma, King's Chair." After a beat, he bowed slightly. "Thank you for handling the X-egg."

My sister laughed nervously. "No need for all that. I'm sure you guys could've taken care of it, I just haven't transformed in a while so I was kind of in the mood."

Amu's charas were buzzing around me anxiously. Finally, the green one asked me, "Where's Daisy?"

I could feel my sister turn to look at me and I lowered my head shamefully. _I...I can't tell her. She's already had to save me once today. I can't let her know what a failure I am as a Guardian._ After a too-long moment of silence, my sister said, "I'd better get back to the store before Utau and Sanjou-san get antsy. Ami, can you do me a favor and pick up a package for me down at the studio? I'd go myself, but the signing's running a bit late and I have somewhere to be right after. It's really important."

I was surprised. Amu didn't usually ask stuff like that of me. "Um, okay. But I don't know how to get to the studio."

Onee-chan smiled as if she'd been expecting this. "Miki will show you, ne Miki?"

"Leave it to me." The blue chara flew to my side.

"Eh? Is it okay for her to stay with me?" I didn't think charas were supposed to leave your side.

Amu laughed. "Of course! You probably don't remember, but they used to babysit you when you were little." She winked at me. Looking over at Inokuma-senpai, she said, "You guys do your best." Her eyes flickered over to me, "And let me know if you ever need anything. I'll see you at home, Miki." And with a slight wave she turned and walked away, leaving me with one of her four charas, and Senpai in a dazed sort of silence...

* * *

Cuxie: Uh-oh! I sense triangular things approaching!

Ami: "Triangular things"?

Cuxie: That's all I'm gonna say about it!

Ami: There were so many issues left unresolved! What about Daisy? What about Lanna-chan and Aoi-chan? Why am I suddenly going to a music studio?

Cuxie: It's all part of the grand-master plan! (cackles deviously)

Ami: That sounds...diabolical.

Cuxie:...You're in the fourth grade! You shouldn't know words that big! Honestly, today's youth...well, that's all folks! R&R!


End file.
